Within the Face Stealer's Grasp
by jayma
Summary: Sequel to "The Ties that Bind" - Toph and Aang are about to discover whether history truly repeats itself. Will past events lay claim to their lives or will they find a way to escape from the inescapable? PREVIEW OF NEXT SEQUEL UP!
1. Chapter 1: Omen

**Within the Face Stealer's Grasp**

Sequel to "The Ties that Bind" - Toph and Aang are about to discover whether history truly repeats itself. Will past events lay claim to their lives or will they find a way to escape from the inescapable?

A/N: My apologies for my very late sequel to "The Ties that Bind." I literally had writer's block for weeks! In that time, I managed to make two Taang music videos as a way to inspire me and the inspiration finally kicked in last night. And without any further ado, I give you the first chapter of the sequel, "Within the Face Stealer's Grasp." Enjoy! And don't forget to leave a review, they make me happy!

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Chapter One: Omen

_Toph ran down the dark cavern, her earthbending useless, but her sudden ability to see helped her escape the clutches of the creature that ran after her. She turned the corner and hid within a small crevice. She regretted it the moment the walls started to close around her and suddenly the scenery dramatically changed._

_She now stood in front of two mirrors, being able to see herself for the first time. In the left-hand mirror she saw her flowing dark hair held back by an elaborately decorated green and gold diadem; her tresses draped over a beautiful pastel green gown…but her eyes traveled back to her neck, where an elegant betrothal necklace hung against her porcelain skin. _

_Her eyes were torn from the mirror when her head was involuntarily pushed to view the right-hand mirror. She screamed when she looked upon the faceless figure in front of her. The mirror cracked and so did the earth from under her. She looked down and suddenly plunged into water; darkness consumed her from all around as she thrashed against the water. _

Aang awoke to the abrupt rumble beneath him and the screams that soon followed. As he sat up, he saw the earth bending and cracking all around him. He saw Toph, only a few feet away from him, thrash against the floor. He rushed over to her and managed to catch her wrists as she flailed them in the air.

"Toph!" his groggy yet worried voice called out for her to stop, but she continued to struggle against him, "Sweetie wake up!" he insisted as a sharp earth spike came up from his side. Another earth spike shot up from the ground and caught his sleeve, ripping it open. He had to get her away from the ground before she did something she would regret later on.

He slipped one arm under her neck and the other beneath her legs and lifted her up from the ground. The quake stopped the moment she was in the air, but she still continued to struggle against him.

"Toph, please wake up!" he repeated and quickly walked over to the edge of the small spring a few feet away from their camp. He bended a string of water and lightly splashed it on her face. She gasped at the cold water and finally opened her eyes, her movements slowed as she became aware of her surroundings.

"Aang?" she whispered timidly. He hugged her closer to him and walked her back to their camp.

"I'm right here Toph, shh, I'm right here," he whispered to her in a protective tone as he sat down by the dying fire and held her on his lap. Aang grabbed both of her hands and held them against his face to let her know that it was truly him. He let go momentarily to bend some more fire and quickly turned his attention back to Toph.

"Wh-what happened?" she asked as he hugged her closer and he bended some heat to warm her frigid fingers.

"You had a really bad nightmare," he answered as he brushed his lips across her forehead and rested his head on hers, "…bad enough to earthbend," he added and pulled back to see her. Aang saw as an apologetic expression grew on her face and quickly added, "But I'm okay."

Her features calmed a bit as one of her hands roamed to the back of his neck where her fingers played with his short hair. Toph twisted his hairs about her fingers and he closed his eyes at the loving gesture. She picked up the habit of twisting his hair when she was nervous; it was a mechanism that helped her calm down and eased the anxiety. It also helped her to go to sleep on restless nights; and this solely prevents him from shaving his hair completely.

Aang leaned forward and gently nudged her nose with his and placed a chaste kiss upon her lips, "The last time something like this happened was a couple of nights before I fought Ozai."

Toph nodded at the fact as she remembered the night herself; but, she suddenly chuckled when the memory of Sokka fighting the sharp earth spikes struck her mind. He was still half asleep and he thought he was fighting off a hoard of zombies.

"Sokka?" Aang inquired lightheartedly as he knew exactly what was on her mind. She laughed a bit more and Aang joined in.

"Zombies," he let out in a sigh at the end of his laughter. The fire crackled beside them while Appa and Momo's snoring continued to play in the background.

Aang grasped one of her hands, not noticing that the one he grabbed was the same one he was physically glued to four years ago. He laced her fingers with hers and although he enjoyed the reverie they were in, he had to touch on what had happened earlier, "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked as he brought her hand up and kissed it.

Flashes of her running, the two mirrors, and her faceless body plagued her mind. Shivers ran down her spine and Aang noticed, "Toph, please—"

"It's nothing," she abruptly cut him off and threw in a rather reckless excuse, "I'm just nervous about seeing my parents tomorrow, that's all." She kept her heartbeat at a steady rhythm, since for the past couple of years Aang too had picked up on the subtle vibrations of deception.

Aang eyed her for a moment before she gently rested her head on the crook of his neck, "Why would you be nervous?" he asked as he ran his fingers through her long hair, "I thought we settled everything with your parents after the war. Your parents love me now," he added in jest.

"I know, but," she hated herself as she told off another lie, "I dreamt I had gone back to a prison rather than a home." A small tear rolled down the side of her face since the last thing she ever wanted to do was to deceive him.

He gently pushed her back and held her face in his hands, "You know that I would never let that happen to you…I would never let anything bad happen to you. You know that, right?" She bit her bottom lip and nodded in response.

No matter how many times he saw it, every time she bit her lower lip, he would fall in love with her all over again. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. She gave into his kiss, a weakness she couldn't overcome. As she returned the kiss her nightmare and worries were pushed away and security settled in.

Although he was reluctant to stop, Aang gradually ended the kiss. He directed his lips towards her ear, "Everything good?" he whispered as he soothingly nibbled her ear; a spot, he discovered years ago, that made her moan in the most irresistible way. When he heard the audible sigh, he smiled against her skin and placed one last kiss on her neck.

"Let's go to sleep, tomorrow's a big day," he said as he lay back against the floor and brought her down with him. He adjusted her so that she rested in his embrace, their legs tangled together by the fire.

"Hmph, what's so great about tomorrow?" she lightheartedly complained and subsequently received a tickle on her side for being smart with him.

"You only celebrate your sixteenth birthday once, you know," he stated matter-of-factly and pushed her hair back from her face, "And I intend on making it one of the best days of your life."

"Oh really?" she teased him as she slipped one of her hands beneath his shirt and gently massaged his back muscles.

"Mhmm," he murmured in comfort. Till this day her touch continued to send sparks throughout his body. He yawned and soon she heard his breathing slow into a normal sleep pattern.

"Then I'm looking forward to tomorrow," she whispered as sleep took over and the images of her nightmare were left in the dark.

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A/N: How's that for the first chapter? Let me know what you guys think! Hope you liked it! I plan to put up the next chapter by the end of the week. Until then, take care!


	2. Chapter 2: Whole

**Within the Face Stealer's Grasp**

A/N: Here's the second chapter as promised! I thought I'd make this chapter a bit more lighthearted and down to earth, since that's how I imagine Toph and Aang's relationship is like. So just to recap the last chapter:  
- This story takes place four years after "The Ties that Bind" and therefore, four years after the defeat of Ozai.  
- Ages: Toph is 15 (going on 16) and Aang is already 16. I always imagined him to be a couple of months older than her.

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Chapter Two: Whole

With the rising sun on the horizon, Aang woke up to Toph's light touches as her fingertips glided across his arm back and forth. Her head sat upon on his chest and she enjoyed the up and down motion that his breathing produced. Further down, her leg wrapped around his in a very possessive and endearing way.

Aang opened his eyes slowly and blinked the sleep away. He broke into a smile when he lifted his head a couple of inches to see her relaxed against him.

"Morning," he happily yawned out as he rubbed her back.

She abruptly stopped caressing his arm and lifted her head towards his, "Aww Twinkle Toes, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up," she admitted and started to detach herself from him when she was suddenly flipped over, her back flat against the ground and an unabashed Aang rested between her legs.

In the last four years, Aang had physically grown up to the point where he reached Sokka in height. And although Toph had grown too, she was unfortunately a head and a half shorter than her counterpart. In addition to their growth spurts, Toph and Aang had grown more affectionate towards one another. That consisted of more hand holding, more stolen kisses, more touching, and lately, more terms of endearment. Lastly, nobody would question the fact that both Toph and Aang's personalities had molded into some sort of a balancing act: Toph still held onto her tough exterior, but often gave into her "girly" and "hopeless romantic" side…Aang continued to be the kindest at heart, but according to Sokka's analysis of Toph's influence over Aang, "he finally grew a backbone."

As he positioned himself between her legs, he swiftly moved down a couple of inches to meet her face to face. He laced his hands with hers and held them against the ground by her ears. He admired her raven black hair spread about the floor and then saw the giant smile on her face.

Aang leaned down towards her and stopped only a few millimeters away from her lips, "Don't feel sorry on your birthday," he said as his breath teased her. She loved how much his voice had deepened in the last two years; it still cracked from time to time, but she adored the huskiness in his voice.

"Oh, so is this my birthday present?" she asked playfully. He was about to answer her when she closed the space between them. Aang let her hands go, desperate to grab the tresses of hair splayed around her. Her hands also went for his hair and she brushed her slender fingers through it. Their kiss intensified with every touch, and like several times before, Aang reluctantly pulled back before the matter fell beyond his control.

He pulled back slightly only to have her legs wrap around his waist and in one swift motion, Aang ended up with his back flat against the ground as Toph hovered over him, "Well the Birthday girl is a bit feisty this morning, isn't she?" Aang taunted her.

He thought she was going to lean in for more, but as she did, she stopped midway, "No, I just wanted to be on top," she said and laughed as she stood up.

A blush covered Aang's face as he airbended himself up from the ground and followed her over to where Appa and Momo sat silently.

"Don't you want to know how many presents you have?" Aang asked as he patted Appa's side and Momo landed on his shoulder.

As Toph dug through her sack, she pulled out some elegant garments in preparation to meet her parents. She turned to face him and Momo greeted her as he flew over to her shoulder, "Aang all I want from you is…you. You know I'm not one for material stuff," she said as she walked over to the other side of Appa and started to change.

"I know, but 'just me' is boring," he answered back quite childishly as he too looked for his good clothes.

"You weren't boring five minutes ago," she said in reference to their heated kiss. She felt her cheeks turn red at her own comment and laughed when Aang replied in a dreamy way, "Yeah that definitely wasn't boring."

They finished changing and Toph came around with a hairbrush in her hand. She extended it out towards him, but he just admired her dress; or rather, her figure in the dress. The garment reminded him of the first time he saw her in the gardens behind her house: a flowing white dress with pale green sleeves and shawl.

She scratched her throat out loud and brought him back to reality, "Like what you see?" she asked mischievously with a smirk on her face and he heartily nodded in response.

Toph chuckled lightly and continued to press the brush against him. He finally took it from her and she turned around for him to brush her hair. Before the gaang split up, Katara used to help Toph set up her bun. But since then, Aang gladly brushed her hair for her and she loved him more for it.

He finished brushing her hair back into a zebra-pony tail and turned her around to push her bangs behind her ears, "Beautiful," he whispered and kissed her forehead.

He left her side momentarily to grab any of their possessions around the camp and stuffed everything he found into a bag, which he threw into Appa's saddle. Toph earthbended herself onto the saddle as well, where she waited with Momo for Aang's return.

A rush of air passed by her and she knew Aang had landed nearby. Before he went to sit at the front, he kneeled down next to her.

"What's up sweetie?" she asked as she scratched Momo's belly.

"I wanted to give you your second present," he stated and gently grabbed her right-hand wrist, "Remember when I went away for a couple of days to attend a Fire Nation meeting?"

"How can I forget the three fully agonizing days with Sokka and Katara in the South Pole? Don't get me wrong, I love them to death, but all I thought about was you," she replied as her hopeless romantic side took over.

"Haha, yeah, I remember when I came back…you couldn't see with the ice so when I snuck up behind you, you first punched me and then you kissed me senseless," he added and lightly rubbed the place where she had punched him, "Spirits, you punch hard!" he laughed.

"That's because you still have baby skin," she told him humorously as she pretended to punch him, but instead let her hand rest on his cheek, "So where are you going with this story?" she brought the conversation back.

"Well when I was at the Fire Nation, I had something made especially for you," he said as he pulled out a trinket from his pocket.

It was a small metallic bracelet with emerald studs imbedded all around and a small charm hung at the bottom. He described it to her as such and continued, "The charm is actually the Earth Kingdom symbol on one side, and the Air Nomad sign on the other," he said as he drew the symbols on the palm of her hand, "Two halves of one whole."

Her eyes glazed over with tears, "You went to the Fire Nation eight months ago…you've been thinking about my birthday since then?" she asked in amazement.

A tear escaped the corner of her eye as he answered her, "I think about you everyday Toph," he said as he clasped the bracelet on her wrist, "I love you."

Toph hated crying, but how could she not cry, "Two halves of one whole," she repeated and with that she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in the crook of his neck, "I love you," she said against his warm skin.

"So, I take it you like it," he joked against her hair.

She pulled back and quickly wiped the tears off her face, "I love it," she told him and kissed him on the lips.

"I can't wait to see how you'll react to the other presents!" he chuckled and pulled her up with him.

"Where are we going?" she asked curiously as he pulled her away from Appa's saddle and down to the front.

"You're riding with me Birthday girl," he said as he sat down and pulled her down to sit in front of him. She sat in between his legs and he pulled her back to make her more secure. He wrapped one arm across her waist and used the other to hold the reins.

"Where to pretty lady?" he asked in a Foggy Swamp twang like that of Tho and Due.

She laughed and pointed ahead, "To Gaoling, my good sir," she replied in a stuck-up accent to match his.

He snickered and positioned her incorrectly pointed hand to the left instead, "Oh sure, let's all laugh at the blind girl," she said sarcastically and with that they all left to Gaoling.

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A/N: TAANG FTW! Re-reading this chapter makes me fall in love with them all over again! Lol! Isn't Aang a sweetie-pie!? I just love him! So how'd you like the second chapter? More coming soon! Don't forget to leave a review!


	3. Chapter 3: Reunion

**Within the Face Stealer's Grasp**

A/N: Here is chapter three, it's a longer chapter this time! I think I got a cavity from the last chapter, lol, it was so sweet! I hope you're enjoying it all! Don't forget to leave a review!

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Chapter Three: Reunion

Due to last night's ordeal, Toph started to doze off as she and Aang flew to visit her parents for her birthday. She relaxed against him, her head tipped back against his shoulder, and his left arm was still wrapped around her abdomen. Aang peaked down and decided to let her sleep.

He took the opportunity to give himself some time to think. His thoughts traveled back to the previous night when Toph had her nightmare. A sick feeling passed through his chest as he recalled the terror in her unseeing eyes. He shook the feeling quickly by taking in a deep breath and glanced down at her.

Although Toph had made the effort of hiding it from him, he knew her better than that. He knew her fear ran deeper than the excuse she gave him last night. He'd been with her for about four and a half years now and there were very few things that scared her. His mind wandered the possibilities, but nothing came up as to why Toph reacted the way she did last night.

He glanced down at her again and she seemed peaceful within his embrace. Aang looked out beyond and saw Gaoling in the horizon. He took the reins and navigated Appa into a lower altitude.

As they came closer, a red flare flew up into the air. _That's probably Zuko's sign_, Aang thought to himself. Along with the few fears he knew, Aang also knew the things she hated and the one thing Toph hated the most was surprises. But, since it was her birthday, he couldn't help it…he rounded up the whole gaang for the occasion, and they all waited for their arrival. She was under the impression that it would just be herself, Aang, and her parents for a small dinner, but according to Sokka, "She won't know what's coming!"

Aang saw the mansion grounds and gently landed Appa on the premises. He padded Appa's head with his free hand, "Thanks buddy," to which Appa rumbled a welcome in return. Momo flew over to Aang's shoulder and Aang patted his head too, "You too Momo," he whispered and laughed silently.

Aang pointed Momo to the mansion and he flew away through an open window to let the others inside know that they'll be coming soon after.

Another thing he knew about Toph was that she was cranky after a nap. There were only a few things he could do to make her less cranky. He pulled her sleeve to the side and exposed a bit of her shoulder, where he leaned down and placed gentle kisses. His lips traveled along her shoulder and up her neck. He felt her stir and then stretch against him. She lifted her arms to stretch and he moved his head to the side before she accidentally smacked him.

She turned to face him and she let one arm fall around his neck; her other hand went up to his cheek, where she pulled him down for a kiss.

The kiss ended and she smirked at him, "The things you do to avoid me being cranky," she said lightheartedly, "Are we here?" she asked as she untangled herself from him.

"Yes we are," he replied and before she fully moved away, he slipped his arms under her legs and held her against him as he pushed off of Appa and landed lightly on the ground. She sat bridal style in his arms, having been literally swept off her feet.

"Twinkle Toes, come on, put me down," she whined and wagged her feet in the air.

"But this is your third present," he replied with a disappointed tone, "To carry you inside." She heard the sadness in his voice and stopped struggling. She couldn't say no to him. She sat defeated in his arms, a giant smirk across his face as he carried her up the stone path and steps. The truth was it wasn't really her third present. Her third present was what was waiting inside. If he had let her walk on her own, she would have felt everyone inside and spoiled the surprise in the process.

He walked through the already open doors and saw the crowd of people around the room as they attempted to stay quiet. Sokka, who had grown his hair like his father and clad in noble Southern Water Tribe clothes, had his hands over his mouth as he tried really hard not to laugh. Suki, with a big smile on her face wore an elaborate green Earth Kingdom dress, also had a hand over Sokka's mouth.

Zuko was in his royal Fire Nation garments and stood by the table of presents; his arm lovingly wrapped around Katara's waist. Ever since Mai and Zuko peacefully went their own ways, Zuko and Katara started to hang out with each other more and it eventually developed into something more. On the other side of the room stood Toph's parents; Toph's father stood with two thumbs up and her mother silently clapped in excitement.

There were decorations everywhere and Aang had especially requested that they be sprinkled with bits of earth, so Toph would see them with the vibrations.

"Why did you stop?" Toph asked. Even though she disliked being carried around, she loved the feeling of Aang's arms around her.

"Are you ready for your _real_ third present?" he replied and she had a confused expression on her face. She was about to question him when he started to put her on the floor. The moment her feet touched the floor an exuberantly loud "SURPRISE!" rang through the room, followed by "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOPH!"

Toph jumped back a bit against Aang and Aang caught her by the shoulders, where he also whispered a gentle Happy Birthday against her ear.

The look on her face was that of pure joy and astonishment as her friends and family came towards her, "What are you guys doing here?" she asked as she grabbed Aang's hand for support, "Sokka, I thought you had to attend a Northern Water Tribe ceremony? And Zuko, I thought it was impossible for you to leave the palace? And—"

But Zuko interrupted her as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "You're like my kid sister Toph. I would have broken out of that palace just to be here for your birthday," he said and pulled her into a platypus-bear hug.

"Oh Hotness," she whispered her old nickname for him as they hugged, "Thank you."

When they pulled back it was Sokka's turn, "Yeah, the Northern Water Tribe can wait," he added as he too gave her a warm hug.

"And plus, I was in the neighborhood with Suki…I'd never miss my best friend's birthday," Katara said as she and Suki nudged Sokka to the side and gave her an 'only girls' hug.

"And of course we're your parents, sweetie. This is a very important day and we're so proud of you," Toph's father, Lao Bei Fong, said as he side-hugged his wife. Toph momentarily let go of Aang's hand and walked up to her parents. She bit her bottom lip in an attempt to not cry and lovingly embraced both of her parents, "Thank you mom and dad, I love you."

"This is a picture worth painting," Sokka said as he started for his bag to pull out paper and ink, but Suki held him back, "Umm, sweetie, maybe we should start the festivities instead," she said tenderly as to not hurt his feelings.

"Yeah Sokka, I don't want to look ten times my size in your drawing," Toph teased him as she separated from her parents and reached out for Aang's hand again, which he gladly took. Everyone laughed at her comment as they remembered the several paintings Sokka did where he unintentionally manipulated their features.

"Well what's first on the activities list Aang?" Katara asked as she clapped her hands together and rubbed them. It was evident that she was ready to play and win.

Zuko grabbed her hand and placed a chaste kiss on it, "Take it easy, love," he said with a smirk since he knew how competitive Katara could get.

Aang chuckled at Katara's competitive nature, "The first thing on the list is…" he said as he pulled out a piece of parchment from his pocket and observed his writing, "Sungi Horn Chairs!" he said excitedly.

"Wait! Sungi Horn Chairs?" Zuko randomly exclaimed, "Oh, I'm sorry honey, but you're going down," he told Katara and the room filled with laughter again. They all started setting up chairs for the game in the middle of the room and Toph took this small amount of time to pull Aang aside.

She placed her hands on his face and pulled him in for a short yet sensual kiss, "You did this?" she asked as her hands traveled down to his chest.

He leaned down to her ear and whispered, "I'd do anything for you," and slightly nibbled on it before Sokka called out to them.

"Come on you two crazy love birds! I have a feeling I'm going to win!" he said as they all gathered around the five chairs in a circle.

Lao took the task of playing the Sungi Horn and Poppy happily observed her daughter and her friends. As Lao played they all moved around the chairs. Sokka taunted Zuko by lightly nudging him on the shoulder to which Zuko kept slapping his hand away. Suki and Katara giggled at the sight as Katara occasionally stepped on the back of Suki's shoe to distract her. Aang looked over at Toph's face and saw the pure joy in her features. He was so happy to see her happy that he didn't hear the music stop. Before he knew it, everyone had taken their seats and he was the only one left standing.

They all laughed at the poor Avatar, "See that's what you get for gawking at your girlfriend," Sokka shouted.

Toph punched Sokka on the shoulder, "Watch yourself Snoozles, you're next!" she said humorously. She quickly went up to Aang and gave him a peck on the cheek before the game started again.

Aang stood by Toph's mother and Lao gave him a pat on the shoulder, "Don't worry son, they always end up being a distraction," he informed him and Poppy pulled on his ear to correct him.

He scratched his throat out loud, "Uh, I mean, better luck next time Aang," he said as he smiled at his wife lovingly and then resumed playing the Sungi Horn.

Eventually, Zuko and Sokka were the last two fighting it out, but Zuko ultimately won, "Yes, Team Zutara wins!" he shouted and gave Katara a high-five and then a kiss on the lips.

Everyone laughed at Zuko's shout-out, "Zutara!" Sokka repeated, "Fine, if you're Zutara, then Suki and I are Sukka…"

"And Toph and I are Taang," Aang added as Toph wrapped up an arm around his waist.

"And Lao and I are…Loppy?" Toph's mother joined in the conversation and then looked at her husband questioningly.

"Or Pao?" Lao replied and everyone, including Toph's parents, enjoyed a good and hearty laugh.

Ever since Toph mended her relationship with her parents, they've been more accepting and understanding with her friends. She wouldn't have attempted to visit them all those years ago if it weren't for Aang and his "methods of persuasion," as she calls them.

The rest of the day was spent in fits of laughter and joy. Toph opened her presents and was thankful for everything she received.

Sokka gave her…soles, "They're specially made earth soles that you put on shoes, that way you can see with shoes on," he said.

Suki gave her a bottle of perfume, "Aang's going to love it! Trust me!" she said and both Aang and Toph blushed.

Katara gave her a beautiful Water Tribe dress, "I made it! It'll look great on you!"

Zuko gave her new arm gauntlets as well as a new battle uniform, "So I can kick your butt in something different when we duel," he said to which Toph replied, "You wish!"

Her parents gave her a Konghou, a harp-like instrument held at the arm, "I didn't know you played an instrument," Aang said as he admired her as she stood with the instrument.

"I did, years ago…But mom! Dad! You hated the fact that I played it…you said it was played only by commoners," she ended on a sad note as she remembered the day when the harp was taken away from her a couple of months before she met Aang and the others.

"I know we said that sweetie, and we regret the day we did that to you. We regret a lot of things we did to you," her mother replied as she took her husband's hand, "But now we just want you to play like you used to…go ahead, show your friends," she prompted her daughter.

"I don't know if I remember any songs, or even how to play," she said shyly as she held the instrument in her hands.

Then a chorus of "Please Toph, play something" sounded from everyone and she blushed at the attention. It wasn't until she heard Aang's voice that she considered playing, "Please, for me," he said as he reached up to her from his seat and gently rubbed her arm.

"Okay, I'll try," she said timidly, a part of her that most of her friends had hardly seen. She held the Konghou against her left arm and plucked with her right. She closed her eyes as she started to play and a harmonious sound filtered through the room. Her mother shed a tear as she heard her daughter play for the first in years and her husband held onto her hand lovingly for support.

Aang couldn't take his eyes off her as she played. He was completely and utterly mesmerized by her grace and beauty. His heart pounded as he thought of the fourth present he planned to give her. He could imagine the rest of his life with her and he had to thank the spirits for his good fortune.

The music stopped and everyone clapped, "That was beautiful Toph," Katara commented and everyone else agreed.

"Yeah sweetie, that was beautiful," Aang said as he stood up and kissed her. She gave him the harp and he put it down for her on an empty seat.

"What's Aang's present?" Sokka asked curiously as he stood up to stretch his legs. Everyone looked at Aang as he tried to think of a good excuse, but Toph saved him, "He already gave me my present Snoozles," and she put her hand out to show off her bracelet.

Katara and Suki nudged Sokka out of the way again and giggled as they admired the necklace, "Aang this is gorgeous," Suki said as she took Toph's wrist and observed it from all angles.

As the girls talked amongst themeselves and Zuko and Sokka chatted about politics, Aang took the time to talk to Lao and Poppy, "Mr. and Mrs. Bei Fong, may I talk to you in the next room?" he whispered and they relocated to the adjacent room, where Aang closed the doors behind him.

"What is it Aang?" Lao asked as he took a seat with his wife behind a table.

Aang turned to look at Toph's parents and his mouth grew dry. Nevertheless, he found a way to communicate what was on his mind, "Mr. and Mrs. Bei Fong, as you know, your daughter and I are happily in love," he said and they nodded at the somewhat obvious statement, "In most ways, I believe we're soulmates. What I'm trying to say is…"

They looked at him with expecting eyes and he continued, "What I'm trying to say is, may I please have your daughter's hand in marriage?" he asked as he kneeled down and bowed his head respectfully.

He closed his eyes and fists in anxiety and within moments he felt a hand on his shoulder, "Stand up Aang," Lao gently requested. Aang did as he was told and swallowed nervously as he waited for his answer.

"I understand you are the Avatar and that you have duties in this world to fulfill. But will you be able to dedicate yourself to our daughter as well?" he asked and Poppy came around the table to his side.

"Sir, your daughter _**is**_ the world to me. She will always come first in my decisions and in my actions. You are correct in saying that as Avatar I have duties to the world, but as her husband, I will have duties to her and her alone," he answered truthfully and the anxiety started to dissipate as he saw their calmed features.

"What do you think, dear?" Lao looked to his wife, "Do you think he is worthy enough to have our daughter's hand in marriage?" he asked with a smirk on his face.

"Ever since she's met you, she has been the happiest I've ever seen. You bring about this glow in her that no other can," she said as she took Aang's hands in her, "I full heartedly give my consent."

"As do I," Lao said as he patted Aang's shoulder, "Congratulations…son." Aang couldn't let go of the goofy look on his face as he gave them both a hug and rushed out the doors.

As he entered the room, he saw that they were all still talking. He walked over to Toph and was about to grab her hand to pull her into a private area, when one of the servants came into the room, "Dinner is served," he announced and retreated to the dining area.

"Time to eat!" Sokka shouted as he grabbed Suki and walked into the dining room. Katara and Zuko followed, amazed at how much Sokka hadn't changed in all these years. Poppy and Lao soon followed.

As much as he wanted to take her out into the courtyard and ask her the big question, he didn't want to tear her away from dinner, and possibly one of the few times that they would all be together.

"Ready to eat?" she asked as she linked her hand with his. She turned to him and placed her free hand on his cheek, "Aang, what's wrong? Your heart is going a mile a minute."

He looked down at her worried expression and snapped back to reality. He put a hand on her cheek and then leaned down to kiss her full on the lips. What was supposed to be a small and sweet kiss turned into a very passionate one. He let go of her hand and wrapped his arms around her waist while she did the same around his neck.

She slowly pulled back from the kiss and gave him a quick peck before she spoke, "Aang, is everything okay?" she asked as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"I'm more than okay. I've been wanting to kiss you like that all day," he said as he rested his chin on her head and grabbed a handful of her hair.

"As much as I love seeing all of our friends and my parents…I can't wait until we go back to traveling alone together," she said as she planted kisses on his neck and up to his chin.

"Me neither," he replied dreamily and kissed her forehead, "But until then, let's go have some dinner," and with that they walked into the dining room hand in hand.

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A/N: So that was one LONG chapter! Lol. I think this has got to be the longest chapter I've written for a fanfic, haha. How'd you guys like it?? Here are some clarification points:  
- Sokka is 19, Suki is 19, Katara is 18, and Zuko is 20.  
- Sungi Horn Chairs is obviously something similar to Musical Chairs.  
- And I always imagined that Toph had a rebel side (as the Blind Bandit) and a sophisticated side. So for the longest time I imagined her playing an instrument...so I did my research and found an ancient Chinese instrument called a Konghou. I thought it was perfect for her! I really like my addition to her personality. What do you guys think?

I want some love, leave me some reviews! :)


	4. Chapter 4: Proposal

**Within the Face Stealer's Grasp**

A/N: Yay, here's chapter four! Oh this is the big one! Aang's going to ask the big question! Get ready for some fluffy sweetness! Oh and if you want, look up the Blind Bandit to see a bird's eye view of the Bei Fong Estate, for any clarifications : )

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Chapter Four: Proposal

Laughter filled the dining room as Toph, Aang, and the others told stories of their old journeys, "Remember all the times that we kept forgetting that Toph was blind?" Sokka asked as he grabbed another piece of bread.

Toph almost spit out her drink at Sokka's reminder, "I really thought you guys were thick!" she laughed.

"What did they do Toph?" Suki asked curiously as she had not been in those situations with them.

"There was this one time that Sokka found this wanted poster of me. He came up to me and proceeded to show me the poster, but I had not idea what it was! And Katara did the same thing," she said and Suki shook her head at Sokka, "I'm telling you Suki, Zuko, you have a fine pieces of work over there," she finished and the table burst with laughter again.

"Wait, was this the wanted poster where Toph had fangs?" Zuko asked as he took a sip of his drink, "I remember I saw that poster in some archival documents I came across some time ago. I thought it was hilarious," he laughed and received a punch from Toph.

He winced at the pain, "I see you still show affection by punching," he said as he rubbed his arm.

"Nah, you still owe me for burning my feet," she joked and ruffled his hair. He wasn't wearing his top knot since Toph had ordered him to leave it loose.

About an hour after all the food was gone and the conversation started to dwindle, Zuko stood up and turned to Toph's parents, "Sir, Madam, I want to thank you for your hospitality, but unfortunately I have to return to my duties in the Fire Nation."

Lao and Poppy stood as well and bowed in his presence, "Thank you for attending Fire Lord Zuko," Lao replied.

Zuko turned to Toph, "I'm sorry to break up the fun Toph," he said as he approached her.

He enveloped her in a hug, "I'll see you soon Hotness, we still have to settle that little duel we started last year," she reminded him.

"Yeah, the one where you caused an earthquake that made a tsunami almost hit the western side of the Earth Kingdom? How can I forget that duel?" he laughed.

"Aang stopped it before it made any real damage, don't forget!" she said as she pointed to Aang at the table.

"Yeah, it's great to have the Avatar as your boyfriend, isn't it?" Aang said and Toph stuck her tongue out at him.

Sokka, Suki, and Katara also stood from the table, "We should get going too Toph," Katara said as they approached her.

"Aww, I'm going to miss you guys," she said as she received a hug from all three simultaneously.

"Group hug!" Sokka shouted and Zuko and Aang came to join them as they all hugged each other.

Toph thanked them again as they departed out of the entrance hall. While she was distracted by one last hug from Katara at the doorway, Lao approached Aang, "Are you going to do it tonight?" he whispered cautiously.

"Yes," he whispered back as he scratched the back of his head, "But I'm trying to put the right words into my head for when the time comes."

"Let it come from the heart rather than the mind…it worked out for me," he replied as Poppy subsequently came to his side, "Shall we excuse ourselves as well, darling?" he asked her.

"Yes, please, I haven't had this much fun in ages, but I'm quite exhausted," she admitted, "Good night, Aang," and she moved in closer to whisper, "And good luck!"

The two smiled excitedly as they hugged Toph good night and departed through the maze of hallways that would lead to their chambers. After a few doors were slammed closed, silence fell through the entrance hall.

Toph stood leaning against the main door and Aang was a good fifteen feet away her. Her smile grew wider as she realized that they were the only two left. She pulled out the zebra-ponytail and let her hair fall over her shoulders.

"Are you just going to stand there?" she asked amusingly as she bit her bottom lip. She knew he would have stood there all night just to tease her, but she had already broken him with the biting of her lip.

She felt a rush of wind hit her and Aang suddenly appeared in front of her. He gently pinned her against the door and took in her rocky lavender scent. He was about to loose his nerves when they heard clatter from the dining room.

"The workers must be cleaning up," she whispered against his neck; her warm breath sent shivers down his spine. He then suddenly remembered that he had to feed Appa and Momo. He mentally cursed the small interruptions and sighed out loud in the process.

"I forgot to feed Appa and Momo," he murmured into her hair. She too sighed and let her forehead fall against his shoulder.

"I'll be back in five minutes, I promise," he told her as they separated, "Do me a big favor and wait for me in the courtyard?"

"The courtyard?" she asked, confused as to why he wanted her to wait there.

"I want to give you your fourth present before the day ends," he clarified as she moved to the side to let him out the door.

"Another one?" she widened her eyes in astonishment, "Sweetie, you've given me enough," she said as she held on to his hand.

"I'll be the judge of that," he kissed her on the lips before he went to the stables.

"Say hi to those two lugs for me!" she said and he smiled at her request as she closed the door behind him.

Aang apologized to Appa and Momo as he gave them hay and fruits from the storage compartments, "I'm so sorry guys. I'm just nervous about asking Toph to marry me. Do you think she'll say yes?" he asked them as he patted the two. Both Appa and Momo licked Aang, signs that obviously pointed to yes. He thanked them and wished them good night as he left the stables for the courtyard.

Aang walked over the small footbridge and admired the small pond as it glistened under the full moon and a small breeze rustled the braches overhead. Then he saw her at the southern portion of the pond. He airbended himself over the water and landed a few feet away from her.

She felt him nearby and patted the seat next to her. Before he sat down he saw her hairbrush on her lap and decided to sit behind her instead. Like earlier that day, Toph sat in between his legs and he slipped an arm around her waist to retrieve the brush.

She closed her eyes as he used the brush in one hand and used the fingers in his other hand to thread through her hair. They both enjoyed this part of their relationship; the point where words weren't needed to describe how they felt.

After a few minutes passed by, Aang put down the brush and pushed her hair to one side. Again, he repeated the same actions as earlier and slowly pulled aside her garment to expose her shoulder. He left her a trail of kisses across her shoulder and she moved to the side to give him more access. He went up to her ear, where he finally broke the silence between them, "Do you want your fourth present?" he whispered.

"It depends on whether it's better than you kissing me there for the rest of the night," she answered back distractedly and he lightly laughed at her response.

"I think it is," he replied as he moved back. She whined at his retreat and he laughed again, "Come on, sweetie, please," he said as he turned her on to the side and he sat in front of her.

They sat cross-legged in front of each other and Toph slouched in defeat, "Okay, I want you to meditate with me," he told her and she lightly scoffed at him.

"Meditate?!" she asked incredulously, "That's my fourth present? Kiss me instead, please!" she reached out for him and he leaned back from her.

"Toph, please," he reasoned with her as he put his hands out for her to reach, "This is going to lead up to the fourth present and I promise you, there will be more kissing afterwards."

She sighed deeply and took his hands, "Please, meditate like I've taught you before," he told her and she closed her eyes.

A few moments later, after Toph finally gave in to the meditation, Toph could no longer feel the night breeze and the leaves on the braches ceased to move. The only thing she felt was Aang's warmth emanating from their joined hands. A few more moments passed before she suddenly felt a rush of energy pull her forward.

Toph opened her eyes in delayed reaction and she blinked several times as her eyes focused on the image before her. She saw Aang as he smiled back at her, "Do you like your fourth present now?" he teased her as she rubbed her eyes.

"I can see?" she asked as she stood up and realized that they were not in the courtyard of the Bei Fong Estate. They were in a wide open meadow with flowers and trees scattered all around.

She turned back to Aang and for the second time in her life she really saw him; the first, of course, was in her dreams a couple of weeks before they met.

"You can see," he reached out for her and she took his hand. She looked down at their joined hands and saw part of his blue arrow. She touched it with her free hand and gently traced it. Her eyes started to tear at the wondrous reality she was in.

"Where are we?" she asked as she looked up to his face. She reached up to him and touched every inch: the arrow on his forehead, his eyebrows, his cheeks, his lips and sharp jaw, his ears, and she finally ran her fingers through his hair.

"We're in the Spirit World," he answered her as she looked into his grayish eyes, "When I first crossed over into the Spirit World, I learned that I couldn't use my bending, so I had to rely on my other senses. You depend on your earthbending to see and since you can't earthbend in the Spirit World, the Spirit World had to compensate for that loss. It gave you sight," he finished and he had to hold her as she started to cry.

She pulled back and wiped her tears away as he held on to her face, "I wanted to bring you here so that you can see me give you your fifth present. I wouldn't want it any other way," he admitted to her as his eyes glazed over with tears too.

"I love you," she said through an emotionally cracked voice and smiled up at him. He leaned in and gently kissed her.

After a few moments, Aang pulled back and pushed her bangs to the back of her ears and smiled his goofy smile for her. She giggled, "I can't believe I've been missing that all this time," she told him.

"Well you can see it plenty of more times, because as long as you have me, you can come here whenever you want," he told her truthfully as he placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. She giggled again at the pure joy she felt when he said that.

"Think you've had enough?" Aang eyed her as she took a deep breath to calm herself.

"What else are you going to throw at me after this?" she replied as she pointed all around her.

"I can think of one thing," he said huskily as he took one step back and kneeled completely to the ground.

She looked down at him kneeling and her heart skipped a beat, "Toph, do you remember that night we spent at our tree at the Western Air Temple four years ago?" and Toph nodded as she covered her mouth with one hand.

"Do you remember the to-do list we made?" she nodded again and a tear slid down her cheek, but as soon as it came down she wiped it away.

"Do you remember what number four on that list was?" he asked and before he finished asking the question she started to nod.

"Good, so you know where I'm going with this," he said humorously and she covered her face as she laughed at his statement.

He grabbed her hands and held them as he spoke again, "Toph, everyday I wake up and every night I go to sleep thinking about you…and I never want that to stop. I want to fight with you after you wake up from your naps, I want to hear your sarcastic jokes, I want to hear you play the Konghou, I want you to be by my side when the world needs the Avatar, I want to kiss you all hours of the day everyday, I want to have children with you…I want to have a life with you…" he stressed as he pulled out a green betrothal necklace with a charm similar to the one on her bracelet, "Toph Bei Fong, will you marry me?"

By this point, Toph couldn't keep her face dry as more tears flowed down. She continued to hold onto his hand as she too kneeled down in front of him. She looked into his eyes and bit her bottom lip, "I said yes before, what in this world makes you think I would say no now?" she said joyously as he smiled wide and grabbed her by the waist to pull her against him.

"Yes, Twinkle Toes, yes, I will marry you," she hummed against the crook of his neck. She pulled back and lifted her hair up for him to put the betrothal necklace on.

Once he clasped the two ends, he traced it with his fingers and then placed his hand on her cheek, "I love you," he said as they gazed at each other.

"I love you," she managed to return before he dove in for another sensual kiss.

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A/N: OMG! Move over Toph, I want Aang! Lol! What did you guys think?! Sweet enough for you? Reviews are love! : )


	5. Chapter 5: Reincarnation

**Within the Face Stealer's Grasp**

A/N: Yay, here's chapter five! So sorry it took forever to post up, I know you guys were dying for more! I had family over and on top of it I had minor writer's block. But it's all sorted! I'm really glad you guys are enjoying the story! I definitely have some twists and turns coming up, so enjoy! : )

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Chapter Five: Reincarnation

Toph and Aang walked around the meadow hand in hand, blissfully happy with not a care in the world. Toph cuddled against his arm and rested her head there as she observed her surroundings with her actual eyes, "So Mr. Bei Fong, are we going to make this the wedding of the century or a little gathering for friends and family?" she asked jokingly since she knew he would pick the latter of the two.

"Honestly…" Aang started as he looked down at her, his forehead scrunched up in thought, "I want something big," he expressed by lifting up his free arm into the air, "Not big enough to make it the wedding of the century, but enough to make it last a couple of years," he finished lightly.

"Big? I figured you'd go for the small ceremony…shows how much I know my husband-to-be," she laughed and he joined her.

"A small ceremony is great, but I want people other than family and friends," he said as he turned to her and placed his hands on her waist. He then continued in a lovey-dovey low pitch voice, "To know the amazing person I want to share the rest of my life with," he laughed and flinched as a punch made contact with his arm.

Aang was making reference to a situation that occurred two years ago in which Toph had met Meng for the first time. Meng was "all over Aang," according to Toph, even though Aang had told her that he was taken. Toph caught Meng holding hands with Aang one time and she encased Meng into a cone-like earthen structure, "_I'm his girlfriend and I'm going to share the rest of my life with him, so don't you ever forget it!_" That was the last time Meng did anything to provoke Toph.

Toph knew exactly where he was going with this, "She had it coming!" she replied as she crossed her arms about her chest. Aang continued to rub his arm and struggled to mutter something between the pain and laughter.

"I'm sorry sweetie," he breathed out to calm himself, "You know I'm just playing with you," he said as he caressed her cheek.

She made some sort of a _hmpf_ sound and looked away, "Oh come on, you can't be mad at me. It was a harmless joke!" he put his hands back on her waist and nudged her for attention.

"If I could earthbend right now, I would," she teased him as she continued to look elsewhere. Aang saw the makings of a smile appear on her face and he tickled her to lighten her mood. She laughed as his hands moved up and down her sides.

She managed to detach herself and she made a run for it, Aang not far behind. He took a dive for her and caught her in his arms as he fell on his back to avoid her getting hurt. They both continued to laugh as she quickly turned to straddle him, her hands laced with his against the floor.

"So we're back to square one," Aang said breathlessly as he realized they were in a similar position to the one they were in the morning.

She leaned down, "I like square one," she whispered against his ear and gently kissed the point between his jaw and neck. He closed his eyes as shivers rand down his spine. She felt him shiver and she laughed lightly, "To believe I still have this effect on you," she said as she let go of his hands and brushed his hair.

He looked into her eyes and she looked back at him, "You'll always have this effect on me," he whispered back and he pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

She rested her head on his shoulder and started to curl her fingers around his hair. She then asked curiously, "Why is that? You have the same effect on me. I talked to Suki about it, but she had no idea what I was talking about."

"I talked to Roku about it a couple of days ago," Aang started, but Toph interrupted him.

"You talked to Roku? I don't remember this," she stated as she lifted her head a bit to look at him.

"You were taking a nap at the time, and remember you woke up as your normal cranky self," he said as he poked her shoulder.

"Oh that's right!" she laughed momentarily and then turned to him as the laughter died down, "So what were you and Roku talking about?" she said and continued to rest her head on his shoulder

"I asked him about his marriage to Ta Min and then he figured out that I wanted to ask you," he chuckled at his predecessor's intuitiveness, "But then he confirmed something that we had talked about at the Western Air Temple years ago."

"What was that?" she asked as she again lifted her head to look at him.

"Well, he told me that our spirits are joined and have been since the dawn of the Avatar," he informed her while he stroked the arm that rested on his chest.

"Joined? Like what….like soul mates?" Toph asked curiously.

"Exactly…he told me that just like the Avatar spirit reincarnates into a different body, the Avatar's soul mate also reincarnates into a body that would complement the Avatar. The only recent reincarnations I know though are Ta Min and Ummi," he said and continued to stroke her arm.

She heard Ummi's name, but kept the conversation going, "So my spirit was once Ta Min and Ummi, and all of the other past partners of the Avatar?" she asked in amazement.

"Yup!" he answered truthfully, "So every time we feel those shivers or déjà vu moments, it's because our spirits are entwined."

"Which explains why some unforeseen cosmic force brought you to the swamp and then brought you to me…I swear this Avatar stuff gets complicated every time," she said humorously and then Aang flipped her over on to the ground.

"Well get used to it because I'm not going anywhere," he said and kissed her on the lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

She broke away momentarily and looked him straight in the eye, "Good because neither am I," and she leaned in for another kiss.

They lay against the ground like that for several minutes as they enjoyed the constant shivers that traveled through their bodies. When Aang finally pulled away to catch a breath, Toph whimpered at the act, "Why did you stop?" she whined as she stroked his hair.

"Well first, if I could kiss you forever without the need for oxygen, believe me I would," he joked and stood up. He pulled her up to him and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead, "Second, if I hadn't stopped now…I don't think I could have stopped later," he admitted and she blushed at his honesty. He too blushed at his comment and a momentary flash of raven black hair strewn across white pillows made him blush even more.

"And third," he sighed since he knew that she's be disappointed with his last point, "It's getting late in the real world and we should start to head back." He saw her head droop down, but he lifted her chin up and their eyes met, "I promise I'll bring you back here," he said and she smiled slightly.

He grabbed her hands and gently kissed them, "Ready to go?" She nodded and took one last look at his grayish eyes before she closed hers. Aang told her to breathe and resume the same meditation process they had performed before entering the Spirit World.

Within moments, Toph began to feel the cool breeze of the night air and hear the rustle of leaves in the trees above them. They were back.

Toph opened her eyes and to her dismay, she saw nothing. She felt Aang stand up and she stood up as well. She went to touch her neck, but her betrothal necklace was gone. She patted her clothing and then bent down to touch the ground.

Aang saw her desperation as her hands fiercely patted the ground, "Sweetie what are you looking for?" he asked as he bent down to get a better look at her.

"My necklace, I don't know where it is," she said anxiously as she brushed through her hair several times to see if the necklace had caught onto it.

"Toph, I have it," Aang said as he pulled it out of his pocket and lightly swung it in the air, "The necklace in the Spirit World was like an illusion," he pulled back her hair and tied the necklace for her as he did in the Spirit World.

"I feel like such a dunderhead, I completely forgot," she laughed as she touched the charm to her betrothal necklace.

"My dunderhead, indeed!" he said and kissed her on the cheek before she could retaliate. She was too fast for him though and she caught him by the collar.

"That's Mrs. Avatar-dunderhead to you!" she joked and pulled him down for another kiss.

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A/N: Okay, well I wanted to throw you more fluff before the more serious stuff takes place in the next chapter. Again, my apologies for how late this chapter is! I know I hate it when my favorite stories take forever to update, so I'm really sorry I did this to you guys! Stay tuned for the next chapter! Don't forget to leave a review!


	6. Chapter 6: Nightmare

**Within the Face Stealer's Grasp**

A/N: And here goes chapter six! I really gave myself goosebumps when I wrote this, so…beware, I guess! Lol! Don't forget to leave a review! They make me happy!

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Chapter Six: Nightmare

Dimly lit were the hallways of the Bei Fong manor. The curtains were drawn to avoid unexpected drafts and thereby prevented the moonlight to filter into the hallways. The lack of visibility made it difficult for Aang to navigate through the maze that led to his and Toph's rooms.

He squinted and touched the wall for support as he held on to Toph's hand. It had been twenty minutes since they had walked through the main door and he was still trying to look for their rooms. Toph snickered at his momentary "blindness" and at his attachment to the wall for guidance, "So, umm, does the Mighty Avatar need assistance through the dark?" she mocked as he continued to touch the wall.

"I've been down these halls plenty of times before…I know exactly where I'm going," he said confidently and then lightly tripped over something hard. He moved his foot to feel for the object that tripped him, but it was gone.

"You earthbended that chunk of rock, didn't you?" he asked with a smirk on his face. He heard her laugh and he nodded, "I knew it! You are an evil woman," he informed her as they made a turn around a corner.

"This reminds me of the time when we got lost on our way to Whale-tale Island because _someone_ didn't want to stop and ask for directions," she said casually and subsequently yawned.

He stopped, quickly thought of a good comeback, and then turned to her when he did, "What are you trying to say, _honeybun_?" he said with another sly smirk. Okay, so it wasn't a spectacular comeback on Aang's part, but Toph despised that particular term of endearment.

She cringed at the name and she too thought of a comeback. She matched his sly smirk and placed her hands on her waist, "What I'm saying, Twinkle Toes, is maybe your sense of direction is not up to par as you might think." She heard him gasp at her remark and her smile grew wider at his audible response.

He took a step towards her and he too wore a smile on his face, "Do you want to go and take this outside?" he asked, a hint of humor in his voice.

She also took a step closer, "I'd love to, but if you took lead, we'd probably never get there," she answered back and snickered simultaneously. Spirits, she was good. _Toph, you still got it!_ She inwardly told herself.

Aang sucked in his teeth and then leaned down, his face mere inches away from hers, "I love your sharp tongue," he whispered in a husky way.

She placed her hands on his shoulders and let them travel around his neck, "I bet you do," she whispered back an insinuation that made him blush. She felt the heat rise up from his neck and she happily smiled as she pulled him down for a kiss.

After Aang gave in to Toph's conniving charm, she took lead and they finally reached their rooms five minutes later, "You do realize you could have used your firebending to see, right?" she told him as she opened the door to her room and then turned to lean her shoulder on the doorway, her arms crossed about her chest.

Aang leaned against a sliver of doorway that wasn't occupied by Toph and quickly snuck a lock of hair behind her ear, "That would have taken out all of the fun," he replied and she flicked him on the arm.

A couple of silent moments passed before he spoke, "So I guess this is goodnight," he said as his fingers lightly traced the side of her face. She closed her eyes at his touch. She could return a sarcastic yet humorous response, but she was too tired to have another one-on-one. Instead she yawned involuntarily and moved in to hug him. He returned the embrace and kissed the top of her head.

"Stay with me," she murmured against his chest. He rested his cheek against hers and closed his eyes at her request.

He traced small nothings at the base of her back for a few moments and then he gently pushed her back, "It's different when we camp together, but it'd seem improper if I stayed in your room," he told her as he kissed her forehead.

"Screw the propriety! You know that's the last thing on my mind," Toph stated as she gently nudged his chest with her head.

He didn't want to get into an argument with her and end her birthday in a bad mood. He moved back and laced his fingers with hers, "I'll see you in the morning…I'm right down the hall if you need me."

She sighed to emphasize her disappointment, but did not insist any further since he had give her everything and more on her birthday as well as in the past four years. She stood on her toes and gave him a kiss on the base of his neck, "Okay, staying is out of the question…but can I get a kiss goodnight instead?" she grinned since she knew he wouldn't deny her that.

"Hmm, I don't know if that's proper," he joked with her and she let go of his hand to punch him amusingly on the shoulder.

"Fine, don't give me a kiss," she played along with him and began to slide the door to a close, but Aang held it back in one swift motion. He held out his hand, grabbed the length of her chin, and pulled her towards him for a very intimate goodnight kiss.

To both of their dismay, the kiss ended. He let his hand trace the betrothal necklace before it fell to his side, "Goodnight," he whispered as he walked away.

"Goodnight," she whispered back and hesitantly slid her door closed.

Toph changed into her night clothes and brushed her hair as the events of the day coursed through her mind. She occasionally laughed as she remembered Sokka's jokes and Zuko's attempt at joking. As she finally lay down, she thanked the spirits for bestowing the best possible friends one could have…not to mention the best possible boyfriend and now, fiancé.

She buried herself into the covers and gave out one last laugh at the overall joy she had experienced before sleep finally settled in.

Aang, too, looked back at the day's events and chuckled as certain images permeated his mind. Like the image of Sokka on Zuko's lap when they reached out for the last Sungi Horn Chair or the image of Toph's father giving him advice. He removed his shirt and threw it across the room. As he ruffled his hair and scratched his scalp, he let out a loud yawn and settled into his bed covers. The last image he thought of before sleep claimed him was that of Toph's smile.

Several hours into the night, the patterns of sleep cycled through the Bei Fong manor as the moon traveled across the dark velvet sky…

_Toph felt weightless, captivated by the silky texture that surrounded her…The warm silken touch slowly turned into a cool caress, which then turned into a stabbing feeling. Her brow began to crumple in pain as a pressure mounted within her chest…her ability to breathe incapacitated. She opened her eyes to see water all around her…she saw her arms struggle upwards to reach the surface, but the more she moved, the more she sunk deeper and deeper._

_She looked up, all hope lost when she felt the water push her down further. She reached the bottom, but the water continued to push. She looked around and saw that the water was escaping through crevices on the ground. The surface finally broke through as the last of the water slipped through the cracks. She gasped for air and coughed up whatever water had entered her system. She shivered uncontrollably as she pushed her wet hair out of her eyes. _

_She couldn't see anything past an arm's length and she called out into the darkness, "Where am I?! Why is this happening?!" her voice echoed into the distance. She blew warm breath into her hands and rubbed them together to heat them up. _

_She was about to blow into them again when a rippling sound appeared behind her. She looked behind only to find more darkness, "Who's there?!" again her voice echoed, "You're messing with the wrong person!" she added confidently as she stood up. _

_A menacing laugh erupted to her left and she turned in an attempt to catch the culprit, "I swear, if you don't let me go, I'll—," but a thunderous voice interrupted her that made her fall back down to the floor._

"_You'll what?" the ominous voice boomed all around, "You'll do to me now what you did to me centuries ago?" and the voice cackled._

"_Listen, I don't know what your problem is, but you've got the wrong person!" she yelled back as she inwardly tried to fight back the fear. _

"_Oh no," the voice cackled again, "After centuries worth of waiting… I finally have you in my grasp," the rippling sound of feet came around her again, but instead of following the sound, Toph looked away. A sick feeling settled in her stomach as realization hit her across the face. _

_She looked down at her feet in an attempt to avoid any possible eye contact with anything around her. Her mouth grew dry as she dared to ask, "Wh-who are you?"_

"_Come now…I am well acquainted with the process of reincarnation to know that some memories live on," the voice exploded in a more serious tone._

"_You already know who I am because your spirit, who has reincarnated many times over, still remembers an old face!" he spat out acidly and Toph cringed as fear broke down the last of her sturdy boundaries. _

"_Koh…" she whispered as her long raven black hair covered the sides of her face._

"_See, that wasn't so hard to remember, was it…Ummi?" The voice screeched into a threatening laugh that pierced the back of Toph's mind. _

"_I'm not Ummi," Toph bravely replied and the laugh fell into deafening silence, "I'm Toph Bei Fong," her voice echoed._

"_Well, you still have that fire, don't you?" The voice sounded nearer and Toph continued to keep her face to the ground._

_Toph felt a warm breath settle on the back of her neck that sent chills throughout her body, "This time, I'll make sure to put the flame out for good…"_

_With those last words, Toph felt the ground shake beneath her and just as before, she fell through and was consumed by water. She thrashed against the water as she struggled for the surface. _

Aang woke up and scratched his throat. He removed the covers and approached the small table by his bed. He bumped into the chair and silently yelped in pain. He grabbed the pitcher of water and poured some into an empty glass nearby. He gulped it down entirely and was about to refill the cup when he heard her.

Toph's screams echoed down the hallway. Aang dropped the cup and as it shattered onto the ground, he was already out the door. In seconds flat he reached her door. The screams continued and with all his might he airbended the door open.

He saw her arms flail upwards and to the side and her legs thrashed against the bed. He ran to her and attempted to grab hold of her arms, "Toph!" he yelled at her, but just as before she didn't wake up.

He jumped on the bed and her hands continued to evade his hold as he repeatedly called out to her, "Toph! Wake up!" Unlike last night, however, she started to gasp for air as if she was literally drowning. He felt panic settle in and he desperately looked around for anything that might wake her up.

When nothing seemed useful, not even his powers as an Avatar, he called out for help. Moments later, Lao and Poppy appeared at Toph's doorway.

"What's happening?" Lao asked worriedly as he approached them.

"She's…having a….nightmare," he struggled to tell them as he Poppy moved to the other side of the bed, "I can't….wake her up!"

Without warning, a calm voice penetrated the screams and anguish as Poppy sang a lullaby while Aang and Lao held her down. Toph's movements calmed and Poppy reached out to smooth her brow. Lao let go of her legs and Aang loosed his grip on her wrists, but still kept close to her. Poppy finished the soothing song and approached her daughter's ear, "Toph, wake up," she whispered.

Moments later, Toph began to open her eyes slightly and then woke up with a start. Aang put his hand on her shoulder, "Toph it's alright," he told her as she turned to him.

"It was just a nightmare," he whispered, but she shook her head.

"He's after me," she forced out of her dry mouth.

"Who's after you, darling?" Lao inquired as he brushed her damp hair back.

She closed her eyes and shook her head in response. Aang was scared by the sight of her; she was always the tough one in the group and she'd never back down, no matter how terrifying the situation.

"Toph, who is after you?" Poppy repeated as she grabbed one of Toph's hands and held it in hers, "She's freezing," she whispered to Aang and Lao.

Aang reached up to her face and placed his hand on her cheek. He pulled her face forward until their foreheads touched, "Please, Toph. I won't let them hurt you anymore, if you tell me who's doing this to you," he pleaded with her.

Toph lifted her free hand up to Aang's neck, where it traveled around to the back and her fingers twirled the base of his hair; her calming mechanism.

After a few seconds of pure solace, Lao looked to Poppy and again brushed her hair back with his hand, "Toph?"

She broke from her reverie and pulled back from Aang. Aang looked into her misty green eyes and he read them like an open book. A sick feeling traveled down his chest as the name of the culprit stabbed him all over.

"Koh," he barely whispered and she leaned against him, relieved that she didn't have to utter the name herself.

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A/N: WOOO! Oh man! Messed up, crazy stuff, huh? I'll definitely clear up everything in the next couple of chapters, so don't worry! Leave me a review and tell me what you think!


	7. Chapter 7: Trust

**Within the Face Stealer's Grasp**

A/N: Oh man! Real apologies for how late this chapter is! I know this isn't an excuse, but I recently got into Taiwanese/Korean Dramas…amazing stuff! Lol! But again, my apologies for neglecting you guys! Without further ado, here is chapter seven. Enjoy and leave me a review!

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Chapter Seven: Trust

Poppy audibly gasped at the sound of the spirit's name. Aang, who still held Toph in his arms, turned slightly to look at her and immediately remembered what Toph had told him the night he accessed the Avatar State: _"__My mom used to tell me stories of an ancestor of mine called Ummi who fell in love with a powerful bender called Kuruk. But he lost her to some creature…Her sister, Yamme, continued the family line, which eventually became the Bei Fong family."_

"Koh?" Lao bellowed, "Who is this Koh?" Aang turned to him and was about to answer when Poppy answered for him.

"Husband, please keep your voice down for our daughter's sake," she calmly stated as she gestured toward Toph, who now rested against the headboard of the bed, "The name you speak of belongs to an ancient spirit and to the ordinary individual this name has no significance."

With Toph's hands in his, Aang looked back at Poppy, who continued on with her explanation, "He is known as the Face Stealer and within my family lineage he is also known to have abducted a beloved ancestor. Throughout the centuries, we always feared that he would return to take another face for his collection."

Lao stood up at her final words and approached his wife, "You mean to tell me that an ancient spirit seeks to abduct Toph for his collection?" he asked incredulously as he pointed to his daughter. Poppy silently nodded and Lao covered his face with his hands in defeat.

"I think he's after me, and he's using Toph to taunt me," Aang spoke up as he gently let go of Toph's hands and stood up from her bed, "He did this to a past life of mine, who fell in love with your ancestor. Koh was apparently teaching him…me," he corrected, "a lesson, for being a reckless Avatar."

"But you stopped the Fire Lord and restored balance to the world, why would he be doing this?" Lao asked desperately as he approached his future son-in-law.

"Because I've also been reckless in this lifetime," Aang admitted a bit too loudly as he pointed to himself for the blame. Lao took a step back as Aang explained himself, "I ran away from my people, from who I'm supposed to be, and froze myself for a hundred years leaving this world in a state of chaos. I was reluctant to master the Avatar State because of my stubbornness and in the process almost brought the Avatar line to extinction in the catacombs of old Ba Sin Se. The actions committed in my past lives are nothing compared to what I've done in this life."

Aang turned around and faced the wall as he attempted to compose himself. He rested his arm against the wall for support to which he then placed his forehead, "And now he's after Toph."

Toph stood up from the bed and walked over to the reproached Avatar against the wall. Without a care that her parents were in the same room, Toph wrapped her arms around Aang's waist from the back and rested her head in between his shoulder blades, "It's not your fault," she simply stated, "His motives are different."

Aang sighed and shook his head in response. Toph let go of him in frustration and took a step back, "Will you just listen to me! He's not after me because of you," she persisted.

Poppy approached her daughter and took her hands in hers, "What do you mean?" she asked in a concerned yet exhausted voice. Her husband noticed this, but left Toph to continue before he made the decision to end the night and continue the conversation in the morning.

"It was different from last night; this time around he said that he'd been waiting centuries for me, like he had been holding a grudge against something I had done in a past life. He didn't mention Aang or anything about the Avatar, he just wanted me," she explained confidently and then felt Aang turn around and lean against the wall.

"Why did you lie to me?" Aang whispered and her heart broke at the sound of his voice, "You had a nightmare last night and you told me something else was bothering you."

Toph was about to explain herself when her father interrupted, "Recurring nightmares, ancient spirits, past abductions…" he said as his arms flailed about in the air, "I think it is best that I place guards outside your room. And although it is socially unacceptable," he paused and took a deep breath, "I think Aang should stay with you for the night and for that matter, every other night until this situation is resolved. I will not lose my daughter for issues that have long passed."

He walked up to Toph and gently kissed the top of her head, "The hour is late, we will discuss more in the morning. I trust Aang will look after you for the rest of the night in our stead." He took his wife's hand in his, "I will have a messenger guard at both our doors to relay any occurrences." Toph nodded and gave her parents a hug before they made their way out of her room.

A deafening silence fell upon the room as Toph stood awkwardly in the middle of the room and Aang continued to lean against the wall.

"Aang," Toph broke the silence, but was interrupted when a knock sounded at her door, "Yes?" she inquired in a frustrated tone. Aang pushed off from the wall and walked over to the window, where he opened the drapes. Toph's senses followed him, but she was suddenly distracted by the voice outside of the room.

"Lady Toph, we wanted to make you aware that your guard detail is now on duty and at your presence," the voice called out through the door.

"Thank you," Toph called back as she rolled her eyes in an "as-if-I-couldn't-defend-myself" sort of way.

Silence yet again penetrated the room and Toph followed Aang over to the window. She sensed that he was facing the window, his back to her and his arms crossed about his chest. She reached out her hand to touch him, but she instead let it fall back to her side, "Please don't be mad at me," she whispered.

A few moments passed by before Aang turned around to face her, "I could never be mad at you, Toph," he admitted. She felt a bit of relief, but it quickly left her body as he turned back to the window and continued, "But I can be disappointed in you."

That stung her. She turned away from and thought of things to retaliate with, but nothing came to mind. She started to walk away when Aang grabbed her hand and held her back, "Leave me alone," she whispered as she struggled to loosen his grip on her. She earthbended a wall between them and he quickly let go of her hand. He earthbended the wall back down, but she was already on the other side of the room.

He started to walk towards her when she grabbed hold of her metal hairbrush from the nightstand. She threw it by his feet and metalbended it to restrain his ankles to the floor, "Toph let me go," he stated calmly.

"No," she readily replied as she leaned against the wall.

"Will you at least hear me out?" he said as he tried to maintain his balance. She crossed her arms about her chest and looked away.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," she opened her mouth to say something, but he continued before she could utter a word, "What I meant by saying that I was disappointed in you was that…I thought we trusted each other."

"We do!" she replied as she took a step towards him.

'Then why did you lie to me? Why didn't you tell me this was happening to you? I took you into the Spirit World, Toph! Do you know how dangerous that was now that I know that it's Koh stalking you?" he asked desperately and in the process he lost balance. He fell back, his ankles still restrained to the floor, "Why didn't you tell me?" he whispered as he scratched his head with his hands.

She sensed his defeated state on the floor and took another hesitant step forward, "I didn't…" she started but couldn't find the right words. She stomped the floor in frustration and then she let it all out, "I didn't want to believe it was real. I just wanted to dismiss it as an ordinary nightmare. I knew that if I had told you, you would have gone straight to the Spirit World and handled the situation on your own. And I just couldn't bear the thought of something happening to you. Okay!? That's why I didn't tell you! And I hated myself for it because the last thing I ever wanted to do was to deceive you."

She too fell on to the floor and took a deep breath as she tried to hold her tears back. She metalbended the brush back to its original state and as she placed it on the floor, she felt Aang embrace her from the side.

"I'm sorry for doubting you," he whispered into her ear. He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head, "I just want you to know that you can tell me anything," he admitted as he rocked her back and forth.

She inwardly accepted his apology, but she too apologized, "I'm sorry too…I shouldn't have kept it from you, despite what I thought," she said as she took one of his hands and played with his fingers

With his other hand he pushed back her hair and kissed the side of her forehead. He smiled slightly, "This reminds me of the time when I accused you of having attachment issues…remember?"

"How can I forget!? That little accusation led to our hands being glued together," she lightly laughed, "But it did bring us closer," and she kissed his hand.

Silence fell between them as they shared this moment together. Aang tilted her head to the side and leaned in to kiss her neck, "Tomorrow I'll contact Roku and I'll find a way to stop this." Toph nodded as she enjoyed the feel of his lips move across her skin. He moved up to her ear, "You're the only thing good I have in this world," he whispered, "and I won't stop until this ends."

Toph smiled at his determination, "You still have Momo and Appa…and the others," she said to lighten up the mood.

"Yeah, but I don't think any of the others will appreciate it when I do this," he replied as he nibbled on the bottom of her ear. She sighed in satisfaction, but shifted her head so that they kissed instead.

She pulled back moments later, "Yeah, I don't think Zuko would have appreciated that at all," she laughed as the mental image struck her head. He joined in her laughter and as the laughter died down he kissed her shoulder.

"Ready to get some sleep?" he whispered.

Toph took a deep breath and clapped her hands together. Aang was going to spend the night with her and she knew he'd be there for her. "Ready!" she replied and got up from the floor to then jump on the bed.

"You're just excited that I'm spending the night with you….as you originally intended," Aang said as he stood up and crossed his arms. He saw Toph cover herself with the bed sheets and pat the spot next to her.

Aang walked over to the bed and slipped under the covers. He grabbed Toph by the waist and pulled her against him. He brushed away the hair from her face and leaned down to kiss her forehead, "I'll be right here when you wake up," he told her as he rested his head against hers.

Toph nodded and yawned as she laced her fingers with his, "I love you," she whispered and closed her eyes.

He looked at her with her eyes closed and he was reminded of his own nightmare years ago before the Black Sun invasion. He saw Toph's lifeless face and then she was pulled down through the earth. He didn't dwell on it at the time, but now that they were together, he swallowed hard and caressed her cheek gently, "I love you too," he replied as he too closed his eyes.

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A/N: So again, I'm so sorry for the long wait. I'll post up the next chapter soon! Leave me a review!


	8. Chapter 8: Roku

**Within the Face Stealer's Grasp**

A/N: Okay, here goes chapter eight! Made it extra long to make up for the slow updates…life just keeps getting in the way of the things that I love, like Taang!! Hope you guys enjoy and leave me a review!

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Chapter Eight: Roku

The warmth of the sun fell on the back of Aang's head as his face hid against the pillow and his arms were spread out from his sides against the bed. His back rose and fell as he took deep breaths. With one of those deep breaths he slowly gained consciousness and moved his right arm around to feel for Toph. The spot beside him was empty and cool and as he registered Toph's absence he woke up with a start.

He turned over and sat up at once. He rubbed his eyes and immediately spotted Toph by the window. She leaned against the window sill and her sightless eyes looked out at the morning scenery, not fully able to grasp the beauty of the sunrise.

Aang rolled out of the bed and his feet landed heavily on the floor. She sensed him, but made no move to acknowledge him. She had woken up an hour before and thought about the events prior. Questions and concerns ran through her mind: _Will he come to me in my dreams again? Does he really intend to take me? Will Aang be able to stop him if he tries? I can't bend in the Spirit World, if I could I would show him a piece of my mind…But even when I stood up to him, I couldn't help but cower down…_

Toph felt Aang stand behind her, his arms found their way around her waist and he crouched down to rest his head on her shoulder, "A copper piece for your thoughts," he said, his voice slightly gruff from the rude awakening.

She took a deep breath and leaned to the side to rest her cheek against his, "What happened to me?" she replied in a dazed state.

He lifted his head, not able to understand her question and turned her around to face him, "What do you mean?" he asked as he pushed her hair back behind her ears and left his hands on the side of her face.

"When you first met me, I didn't let anyone walk over me. I always fought to be strong and because of that nothing could stop me. But, I look at myself now and I look back at what happened to me last night and the night before…I've changed. I don't see the tough-give-me-no-attitude girl I used to be…I didn't tell you this yesterday, but Sokka said I had gone soft these past couple of years. I didn't think anything of it until the nightmare happened. Is that true?" she said as she pulled his hands away from her face, "Have I gone soft? Gotten weak?"

Aang shook his head, confused at why she was thinking about all of this. He opened his mouth to tell her no, but when he thought deeply about her concerns, he hesitated, "You don't even have to answer the question," she said bitterly and turned back around.

_From where was this coming? _Aang thought to himself as he stood there in defeat, _I thought we had made up last night and she did seem a bit calmer after the whole ordeal. Why is she questioning who she is?_

"Toph, you're not weak. Why are you thinking this? You've never second guessed your strength and who you are as a bender. You've always been the strongest person I know, physically and mentally," he said, but she made no move to turn around, "I have to admit, you have softened over the years…BUT," he added quickly just as she turned around unexpectedly, "Not in a way that makes you seem weak or incompetent…but, in way that shows that you have matured, just like all of us have matured in our own way. You're no longer the bitter girl who ran away from home, or the girl who had to prove herself because of her blindness…you've come accept a part of yourself that you never thought you would," he finished and he lifted his hand to caress her cheek. She grabbed his other hand and laced her fingers with his as a small smile started to form from the corner of her mouth.

"You always know what to say," she said quietly and leaned in to hug him. Aang accepted the hug and kissed the top of her head, "After the last two nights and after going into the Spirit World, I was afraid that I was only strong because of my bending and that…I was losing my edge," she confessed as she hugged him tighter.

He then laughed silently, "You don't need your bending to be strong. I know that's what you've been worried about since all of this happened. You will always be the feisty girl who I knocked out during Earth Rumble VI!"

"Feisty, huh?!" she replied as she pulled back and punched him on the shoulder.

He cringed at the pain and rubbed the point of impact, "Yeah, I still got it!" And they both laughed.

The laughter died down and he then pushed her hair back behind her ear, "See! A feisty flame that will never burn out," he grinned as he tilted his head to the side, but Toph's smile faded away at the sound of those words.

Aang noticed the rapid change in her expressions, "What? What did I say?" he said as he placed his hands on her shoulders.

As she heard those words from Aang, her mind wandered to what Koh had last told her, _"This time, I'll make sure to put the flame out for good…"_

"Toph?" Aang grabbed her attention as he gently shook her shoulders, "What's wrong?" he asked desperately.

She held onto his arms, "The last thing Koh told me was that he would put my flame out for good," she said and Aang understood.

"Toph I need you tell me what happened in both of your dreams. I need to fully understand the situation before I seek out my past lives for help," Aang said as he pulled her to the bed and they both sat down.

"Okay, I guess it's now or never, right?" Toph said and she took a deep breath. Toph started by describing the scenery and Aang thought it was very similar to his nightmares before he fought Ozai.

"In this last dream, I was in a dark place and he was near me the whole time, just crawling around in the darkness. He kept talking about reincarnation and how I'm a reincarnation of Ummi. He has a grudge against her; apparently she did something to him when he took her from Kuruk all those years ago. I don't know what she did…or I did. It's all confusing. I don't know how you do it," she ended as she rubbed her face in frustration.

"It takes a while to get used to," he said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Well he's been waiting for ages just to get back at her; and because I'm her reincarnation, he's after me," she paused and Aang tightened his grip on her, "It was so weird, not being able to protect myself without my bending. I felt his breadth on the back of my neck and I had never been so scared," she admitted and Aang pulled her in for a half-hug.

"I'm going to find a way to stop this," he said with determination.

Toph shook her head slightly, "No…_we're_ going to find a way to stop this. There's no way I'm letting you fight something without me at your side…Bending or no bending."

Aang sighed, "There's no way I'm going to change your mind, aren't I?" he asked curiously, but he already knew the answer when a knock sounded at the door.

Lao and Poppy came into the room and greeted their daughter and son-in-law, "I trust you slept well?" Poppy asked as she approached Toph.

"I did, but I don't know how long that will last," she replied as she stood up from the bed.

"Have you discussed a plan of action?" Lao inquired as he wasted no time with the subject. He wanted whatever was haunting their daughter gone from existence.

"I'm going to contact my past lives and see how to properly approach the matter. I could seek advice by summoning them…I did that before I had to face Ozai during Sozin's Comet, but that requires many hours of meditation and patience. I don't have much of either at the moment, so I think it's best if I just enter the Spirit World and talk with them in their own realm of existence," said Aang as he too stood up from the bed.

"Wise decision," responded Lao, "We will look after Toph while you are on your spirit journey."

"I want to go too," Toph said as she crossed her arms about her chest. All eyes were on her as she explained herself, "I want to know more about my past and more about why Koh is after me."

"I don't want you anywhere near the Spirit World, Toph," Aang said in a serious tone, "You're safer here with a contingent of guards and your parents."

Toph turned to Aang, "I thought I made myself clear when I said we're doing this together," she stated matter-of-factly, "I don't need babysitting."

Aang was about to argue back when she started to walk towards her wash room, "End of discussion," she said flatly and closed the door of the wash room behind her.

Poppy and Lao stared at each other and then stared at Aang. "She's always a fighter," Lao said with a sigh, and Aang nodded in agreement, "We will be waiting in the dining room." The two left the room and Aang threw himself on the bed with a exasperated 'oomph.'

After a quiet breakfast, everyone moved into the living area where Toph and Aang sat in the center in similar positions as the night before. Lao made sure that guards were placed at every entrance and at every doorway and window of the estate.

He and his wife took their seats away from the young couple and looked on as the two prepared to enter the Spirit World.

Aang attempted to clear his mind of any concerns, but he couldn't help but think about the recent ups and downs he and Toph had experienced. They would be happy for a few moments and then everything would turn around for the worst. He just wanted what was best for her, but she kept insisting otherwise.

He opened his eyes and stood up, "What's wrong?" Toph asked from the floor.

"We need to talk," he said as he started to walk out of the room. He turned to Toph's parents, "We'll be right back," he said apologetically.

"Can it wait?" Toph said a bit irritated. She stood up and followed him out the room.

"Were we like that when we were young?" Poppy asked her husband with a small smile.

Lao turned to look at her and shrugged, "We were, but I think almost all unions are somewhat complicated…at least, the good ones are," he said as he returned her smile.

A couple of rooms further down, Aang and Toph stood in silence; that is, until Toph broke the reverie out of confusion, "What did you want to talk about?"

"You understand why I don't want you to come with me, right?" Aang brought up the topic and she rolled her sightless eyes.

"Are you serious? That's what you want to talk about?" she asked incredulously, "I'm gonna go back now," she added as she started to walk out of the room, but Aang held her back as he grabbed her wrist.

"Toph, please don't be like this," Aang pleaded and Toph reluctantly walked back to stand in front of him, "I'm trying to make you understand that I can't protect you in the Spirit World. I lose my bending too," he stressed as he lifted his hand to her face.

"I know that," she said in a more calmed voice, "But I have to do this…As an earth bender I was always taught that '_knowing others is intelligence, but knowing yourself is true wisdom'_."

Aang took in her words carefully and nodded, "Maybe you are cut out to be the Avatar's wife after all," he said jokingly and she punched him lightly on the arm.

"I'm sorry for acting the way I did…I know I came off a bit defensive these past couple of hours," she admitted, "It's just…you know how annoyed I get when people tell me what to do."

"I know that part of you all to well," he said sweetly and lifted her chin up slightly to lean down and kiss her.

Moments later, Toph and Aang appeared back in the living room, "I hope you two sorted out whatever dilemma had occupied your minds," Lao said as they took their seats in the center of the room.

"Yup," they both answered simultaneously, a grin on each face.

They sat in the lotus position in front of each other and held hands while they attempted to clear out their minds in preparation, "Ready?" Aang prompted her.

"Let's go Twinkle Toes," she said and he couldn't help but smile at his nickname.

Just as before, Toph felt her surroundings gradually stop until all that was left was a deafening silence. She felt an unnatural pull and as she opened her eyes, she saw Aang looking back. She smiled at being able to see his face again.

"That went much faster than I thought," she said as she stood up to see her surroundings. She was in an ominous swamp, where the trees looked dead and the skies were painted with different hues of orange.

"It's easier to enter the Spirit World the second time around. Just as long as you have an open mind and you have a gateway available, like me," he informed her as he grabbed her hand when she started to walk away from him to view the area.

"This place reminds me of the dreams I had about you before we met," she said as they walked by the giant roots and through the swamp water. Aang recalled what she was talking about; when they first confessed their feelings to each other in the Western Air Temple, Toph mentioned that she had dreams of him in the swamp where he met Huu, Tho, Due and the rest of the Foggy Swamp Tribe. That's also where he had visions of her and her role as his earth bending teacher.

"They kind of look the same, but I bet the swamp you dreamt of was not this….orange," he stated and she agreed.

"Orange…that's the name of the color of your clothes and you have blue arrows…" she thought out loud. Aang stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her. She looked up at the sky and he felt shame at the fact that he forgot that Toph didn't recognize colors. How can he forget something like that? His own wife-to-be!

"You forgot I was blind and that I didn't know colors didn't you? Well I knew blue and orange because of you," she teased him. He blushed profusely at his mistake, but Toph kissed him to make him feel better.

"So that's the color when someone blushes?" she asked as she squeezed his cheeks and laughed.

"Yes, when someone stupid like me blushes, they blush red," he replied and got another quick peck on the lips.

"Red," she repeated, "I know orange and blue...and I know the color of my betrothal necklace is like the color of my clothes and grass. What's that color called?"

"Green," he answered for her as they trudged on.

"Oh, so that's green….I've heard it being mentioned before, but had no idea what it looked like!" she said as she looked down at herself.

The conversation of color continued on:

"And my hair is…"

"Black"

"And that tree stump is…"

"Brown"

"And the bottom of my lip is…"

"Pink"

"And the color of that man's hair and beard over there is…" she pointed out and Aang stopped to look: it was Roku.

Aang and Toph walked up to the past Avatar, "The color of my hair and beard are white," Roku answered her.

"Ah, well, thank you! It's a great color on you," she said and Roku smiled at her.

"You have much of Ta Min's wit in you," he informed her and she too smiled.

"I guess I'll take that as a compliment!" she said humorously and he chuckled at her response, "My apologies, it has been a long time since I last saw her and to know that you are her reincarnation brings back many memories."

At that moment, something within Toph struck a cord and she somehow understood what Roku meant by memories, "Remember that one time when I almost set the kitchen on fire because I wanted to make your favorite meal on our first anniversary…what was the meal again?" She stopped to think.

"Xiaolongbao," Roku and Toph said simultaneously. Aang looked at her in surprise and then looked at Roku.

Toph snapped out of it as she shook her head quickly, "Wow…you really loved her, didn't you?"

"More than words can describe," he simply answered and then turned to Aang, "But, I suspect you did not come here to talk about my past?"

Aang finally decided to step into the conversation, "Yes and no…Avatar Roku, for the past two nights Toph has been visited by Koh in her dreams. I was wondering if you knew why and a way to stop it." Aang tightened his grip on Toph's hand and quickly glanced around before he returned his attention back at Roku.

"Has he spoken to her?" he asked, a bit alarmed to hear the distressing news.

"He has…apparently he has a vendetta against Ummi for something she did to him centuries ago. And since Ummi's spirit reincarnated into Ta Min and eventually into Toph, we were wondering what more information you could tell us…" Aang told him.

Roku stroked his beard as he thought about the situation, "Let us start with what we know…we know for a fact that both the Avatar spirit and the spirit fated to be with the Avatar date as far back as Koh. The Avatar spirit which now resides in you, Aang, and the fated spirit which now resides in Toph."

"We also know that the Avatar spirit was once Kuruk and the fated spirit was once Ummi. When Kuruk and Ummi were about to be joined in matrimony, Koh took Ummi as punishment for Kuruk's recklessness. However, this does not apply in your circumstance, since Koh is not after Aang, but instead seeks revenge on Toph."

"Don't forget, I'm also a descendant of Ummi's family line," Toph chimed in, "So technically, I was once Ummi and my family descended from Ummi's sister, Yamme."

"Are you sure of this?" Roku found this fact most interesting, since he was not aware of it before. Both Aang and Toph nodded in response.

"This must be the connection then," Roku concluded.

"I thought about that, but Ummi's spirit was Ta Min at one point, why didn't he approach her? What is his motive in specifically waiting for Toph?" asked Aang.

"Ummi's spirit and Ta Min's spirit are the same, no doubt about it. Ummi reincarnated into Ta Min, but Koh did not care for Ta Min…his interest was with Ummi. I am sure that he has waited all of these centuries until an actual connection between Ummi was established and that connection is Toph. As much as he would have liked to capture Ta Min, it would not have been the same to him. _**He wants to get as close to the original situation as he possibly can**_. Since he can not turn back the sands of time, he waits until Ummi's spirit reappears in the form of her descendant, who happens to be Toph. If Toph were not a descendant of Ummi's line, then you would not be having this problem."

"Okay, so let me get this straight," Toph said as she scratched her forehead in confusion, "Because Koh hates Ummi, he was waiting for her reincarnation to appear back into her original bloodline, which would be my bloodline….which would be me?"

"Correct," Roku responded, "Right now, the spirit that Koh recognizes as Ummi resides in you and you are also a descendant of Ummi and Yamme's bloodline; two factors that have been brought to his attention."

A tensed silence fell between them as the nature life of the swamp echoed in the background, "Okay, now that that has been made clear to us, how can I stop him?" asked Aang, "I can't use my bending here and don't want to risk bringing him into the mortal world."

"Defeating Koh will not be a simple task Aang…I'm not even certain whether the task is possible. Perhaps it would be best if you take this part of the matter to Avatar Kuruk. But, I do hope you can resolve the issue. I shared a wonderful life with Ta Min and I wish you can fully experience it as well with Toph."

"Thank you Avatar Roku," Aang and Toph said simultaneously.

They bowed respectfully and before Roku disappeared Toph remembered something else, "Wait!"

"Yes, Toph?" he acknowledged her.

"I don't know if you know this, but Ta Min wasn't the same after you died in the volcano. She missed you very much…and she died thinking of you," Toph said as a tear fell from the corner of her eye.

"I have never stopped thinking about you either, Ta Min," he replied wholeheartedly, "Thank you Toph," and with that, Roku disappeared, but not before Toph saw a stray tear escape.

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A/N: So I hope you guys liked it! I think Ta Min and Roku are adorable, so I'm glad I made something of them fit here. Leave me a review!

- "Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power." - Laozi, Ancient Chinese Philosopher believed to have written the Tao Te Ching.

- Xiaolongbao: soup dumplings, specialty in Shanghai…thought it looked delicious so I wanted to add it here, hehe.

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-- So I had one reviewer ask me a great question that I thought I should share now and then clarify/incorporate into my next chapters. **Vash3055** asked me:_ If the avatars have the same spirits and are reincarnations of that sprit. then why are the avatar spirts able to meet thair recarnation and not toph meeting ta min like aang meets roku._

My answer: "Basicially, It's simply because of the fact that he's the Avatar. The Avatar needs his past lives for guidance in order to act out his duty to the world. So, every time he calls on his past lives for aid, he really meets with remnants of his past, not the actual Avatar spirit, because the actual spirit inhabits him at the moment. Unfortunately the same "otherworldly" principles don't apply to the rest of humanity, so Toph is not able to see her past lives like Aang does. But she is able to remember certain things if her spirit has a stimulus. So in this last chapter, the stimulus was Roku and that's how she remembered that bit of memory.

Thanks so much vash3055 for bringing that up! I was going to bring that out over the next few chapters, but I think it's better that I explain that now, since it was kind of vague. Hope that helps! :-)


	9. Chapter 9: Kuruk

**Within the Face Stealer's Grasp**

A/N: Man, time flies! It took me a while to write this chapter in a way that it satisfied me and also in a way that you guys will be satisfied with it too! So I hope you all enjoy Toph and Aang's journey into the past! Also, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to an awesome reviewer, **deztructicus**! Enjoy!

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Chapter Nine: Kuruk

As soon as Roku parted ways, Toph took the opportunity to sit down on a large root that stuck out from the ground behind her. Aang felt the tug on their joined hands as she lowered herself and turned to see her gently shake her head. He knelt down in front of her and pushed her bangs away from her face, "Are you okay?" he said, a hint of concern in his voice.

Toph looked up at him and smirked as she looked into his eyes; she really did love the color of his eyes, "Toph?" he prompted her gently as he stroked his thumb across her cheek.

She snapped out of her daze, "Just a little lightheaded…I have so many memories in my head that involve Ta Min and Roku. Have you experienced something like that before?" she asked him and he took a seat next to her as he continued to hold her hand.

"I have, but I guess I got used to it…they happen on a whim, whenever I contact my past lives for advice," Toph nodded and then curiosity took over her train of thought.

"Why is that I can't talk to my past lives like you can? How come you get to see Roku and all of the others?" she asked as her finger idly played with his.

"I guess it's what Sokka would call 'an Avatar thing,'" he chuckled and so did Toph, "When I 'meet' with my past lives, I don't meet with the actual spirit because the Avatar spirit is already inside me, but instead I'm able to summon remnants of my past and those remnants are able to guide me. It's like bringing part of a memory back to life and letting it take a shape of its own. Its how the Avatar cycle functions and I guess it doesn't really apply to everybody else."

Aang looked over to Toph when he finished and saw her nod in understanding, her face deep in thought, "Would you like to meet your past lives?" he asked curiously, not knowing how to actually fulfill the possibility for her.

"It'd definitely be interesting if I could, but I wonder how jealous I'd get if you start getting friendly with one of them…so you better not try it Twinkle Toes," she said and he laughed at the notion of "Toph getting jealous at herself."

"I have to admit, I did feel a bit jealous when you and Roku mentioned that anniversary dinner," he said and quickly changed the subject as to avoid being teased by her, "And since I remember that memory too, maybe you should stay away from the kitchen," he said humorously and she turned to him with a wide-eyed expression and her mouth wide open in offense. He regretted his words when she immediately grabbed him in a choke hold maneuver from behind and scratched the top of his head with her knuckles.

He laughed and simultaneously cried out in pain as she taunted him, "Who cooked you those vegetable noodles when you was sick last winter?" she asked teasingly as she continued to hold him in a choke hold position.

"You did!" he strained to say while still laughing as she scratched his head with her knuckles.

"And who cooked you an amazing dinner for each of your birthdays?" she asked again, but in the process of not falling over the root behind them, she accidentally loosened her grip.

Aang took advantage of the opportunity and pushed her arm up and around to bring her arm back behind her…and now he held her against her will, but only for a few moments as he let her go and instead slipped his arms around her waist. As he held her, she crossed her arms about her chest in defeat, "Just remember who taught you that," she whispered and he laughed at the fact that she could never take defeat lightly.

He rested his chin on her shoulder and took the opportunity to answer her previous question, "You cooked all those dinners."

Toph nodded proudly, "Yes I did, and you better not forget it," she teased. She made a move to walk away, but Aang kept her firmly against him.

She was about to turn her head to look at him when he started to speak, "…How can I possibly forget that and all of the ways I said thank you afterwards," he whispered into her ear and he slowly eased down to kiss her neck. She smiled as he gently grabbed her chin with his free hand and guided her lips over to his.

And as quickly as that started, it suddenly ended, "Aren't you two a bit too young to be so frolicsome?" Aang and Toph separated from each other and with reddening bashful faces they greeted Avatar Kuruk.

With a smile plastered on his face, Kuruk crossed his arms and continued on with his jest, "I've never seen such behavior."

"You're one to talk," Toph suddenly blurted out as the same feeling that coursed through her body earlier with Roku struck several new memories. Toph and Kuruk started to walk closer to each other as she continued to talk. Aang just stared in disbelief as another tinge of jealousy swelled underneath again, "You always flirted with the Water Tribe girls with your Avatar stunts…You were the master of frolic behavior," she finished and at that point Toph and Kuruk were a foot away from each other.

Kuruk and Toph stared at each other intently, a smirk on each face, "Ummi," Kuruk uttered silently.

Toph's smile faded away and her eyes glazed over, "Kuruk," she said in a cracked voice and they lunged at each other for a bear-crushing hug. Since she was a foot and a half shorter Toph was completely lifted off the ground, her face buried in his neck and vice versa.

Aang was completely stunned by the scene, his mouth dry and his hands clenched into fists. He realized how childish he looked and quickly drove his jealousy away…well, almost all of his jealousy. He walked over to them and scratched his throat out loud to make his presence known. He succeeded in breaking their sweet reverie and Kuruk gently placed Toph back on the ground. Aang didn't hesitate to grab her hand and pull her back towards him.

Toph gently massaged her temple with her free hand as Aang held on to the other one. He noticed how much these meetings with his past lives had overwhelmed her and he massaged her temples for her. Kuruk smiled on at the two and stepped back to take a seat on a dead tree stump.

"So this must be Toph?" Kuruk said to grab their attention, "My apologies Aang, she just looks so much like Ummi, my emotions for her took over," he said solemnly, but then gave them a smile. Aang nodded in understanding.

"What brings the two of you to the Spirit World? Nothing bad I hope," he said, but as Aang and Toph exchanged glances, he knew something was awry.

"Actually, we've come here under bad circumstances," Aang replied and he tightened his hold on Toph's hand and he continued on, "Koh has been threatening Toph."

Kuruk stood up abruptly at the sound of his name, his eyes driven toward the ground, and his chest heaved in and out in deep breaths. Toph flinched at his sudden movement and Aang had never known Kuruk to react this way before; whenever either of them had mentioned Koh, he seemed more solemn and regretful rather than the state he appeared in now. (**A/N**: I know Kuruk seemed just as determined the first time they met in the _Escape from the Spirit World_ but don't forget that Aang's memory was wiped away at the end of it, so this would be the first time he sees Kuruk this way.)

Kuruk noticed Toph's reaction and his nerves calmed down, "When did this start?" he asked.

"Two nights ago," she answered, "We talked to Roku earlier and he said that he may have been waiting for me for centuries."

"Why's that?" Kuruk asked as he took a seat again. Aang and Toph followed suit and sat down on the ground.

"I'm Ummi's descendant," Toph answered and Kuruk seemed confused at her response.

"Her descendant? But Ummi and I never…" and he couldn't find the proper words to finish the sentence. Toph and Aang picked up on where he was going and Aang's ears turned beat red.

"Oh...no, I mean, Ummi had a sister, Yamme. She continued the bloodline and that's how I came to be," Toph answered very quickly to avoid any more awkward moments.

Kuruk nodded in understanding, "That's right, Yamme. She always blamed me for Ummi's disappearance…I can't blame her…"

Toph was slightly saddened by this, but continued on, "So I'm a descendant, but I also possess the same spirit that possessed Ummi."

"The Fated Spirit," he uttered as he looked at Toph and Toph couldn't help but blush under his gaze. Toph lowered her sight to the ground and Aang scratched his throat out loud to interrupt their 'moment.'

Kuruk snapped out of his reverie, "Toph is a descendant and she's also the Fated Spirit, but why would Koh want her for this? There must be something else involved. Tell me Toph, did Koh mention anything that might have given away his motive. Anything at all that you might remember?"

Toph attempted to remember the last dream in which Koh actually spoke to her. She just remembered darkness, the feel of water, and the feel of his breadth on her neck…She closed her eyes and gradually started to remember traces of his voice, mainly his laughter. Then she remembered the first words he uttered, "_You'll what? You'll do to me now what you did to me centuries ago?_" She didn't realize that she had said his words out loud and when she opened her eyes she was confronted with another question from Kuruk.

"What did you do to him? More specifically, what did Ummi do to him that he's waited so long for you now?"

Toph shook her head in response, "I don't know, but whatever she or I did has made him hold a grudge all of this time…Man, I wanted to show him a piece of my mind," she said as she punched her fist into her hand. Kuruk smiled at her and finally Aang spoke out.

"Avatar Kuruk, I don't want to lose Toph. He comes to her in her dreams and last night, I thought I was going to lose her. I need to know what you've learned about Koh; his weaknesses, his strengths…anything," he said and Toph heard a hint of distress in his voice. Toph discovered years ago that she wasn't the only one who had a calming method; whenever Aang showed signs of stress she simply had to massage his earlobe to calm him down. And that's exactly what she did. She shifted to sit on her knees and gently massaged his right ear. To any random person, the scene would have looked strange, but Kuruk understood their actions. After all, that used to be his calming mechanism as well.

Kuruk let them have a couple of peaceful moments. As soon as Toph stopped the small ministrations, he decided to get back to the topic at hand, "Aang, you of all people know that Koh is a natural part of this universe. Killing him would only upset the balance of forces. As an Avatar you have to uphold these values."

He saw that Aang was about to retaliate, but he raised his hand to stop him, "I know what you're thinking: didn't I try to kill him when he took Ummi?" he let his hand fall in defeat, "Of course I tried Aang. I would have done anything to get her back; but just like you, I looked to my past lives for help. And they told me the same thing I'm telling you, it can't be done." Kuruk stood up and turned around, his back faced them.

Frustrated at his answer, Aang too stood up and forcefully turned Kuruk around, "So what am I supposed to do? Just let her slip through my fingers like you did!"

Toph stood up at his rude remark and held him back by the arm, "Aang, stop!"

Kuruk stuck his hand inside his sleeve and pulled out a blue betrothal necklace. He held it up in the air and the charm gleamed under the light, "This was the only thing that was left at the bottom of the Spirit Pond when Ummi was taken. I never once gave up on her…not once! I spent my last days as an Avatar looking for her here and I still look for her even though I'm a remnant of yourself…I thought of her till my last breadth. So, young Avatar, don't you dare tell me that I gave up on her. Don't you even think it!" he said painfully and he took a couple of steps away to breathe.

Aang regretted his accusation and his eyes closely followed Kuruk. A couple of tensed moments passed and Kuruk turned back to them, "Seeing her fully reincarnated has been the most comforting thing I've had in a very, very long time. Seeing her the way she is now…as Toph…tells me that her spirit lived on. Unfortunately, when we first encountered each other Aang, you told me that Ummi was still being held captive by Koh," he saw Aang's confused face and informed him that they had met long ago in a forgotten dream, "That means that a remnant of Ummi still belongs with Koh."

"I don't understand," Toph said earnestly, "A remnant of Ummi?"

"Just as I, Roku, Kyoshi, and the other past Avatars are remnants and guides for Aang…Koh holds captive a remnant of Ummi and thereby a remnant of your past self," Kuruk informed her.

Toph glanced over at Aang, whose gaze was diverted to the ground, and then she looked up at Kuruk, "So there's no way to stop him. History is just going to repeat itself?"

Kuruk looked deeply into her green eyes and he went over to her to hold her hand, "If you're truly Ummi's spirit…and you've definitely shown yourself to be her," he said with a smirk, "Then I know that you'll find a way out of this."

He then turned to Aang and placed a hand on his shoulder, "You'll both find a way out of this." He looked at Aang intently and continued, "Don't walk down my path of hatred, young Avatar; there surely must be other ways to stop him." Aang nodded and he too placed a hand on Kuruk's shoulder.

"I do know this and I'm sorry to say that I discovered it during my last days…Koh is a collector; that is his weakness. Find a way to strip him of this and it might just hinder his strengths. Trust in yourself Aang and I know you'll stop what you think now to be the inevitable. Understand?"

"Yes," Aang replied more confidently. Kuruk removed his hand from Aang's shoulder and grabbed his hand instead. With Toph's hand in the other, he joined both of their hands in his, "I have faith in you both."

He let go of their joined hands, turned around, and started to walk away. Just as before with Roku, Toph called out to Kuruk before he disappeared, "Kuri," she said with a smile.

Kuruk immediately stopped at the sound of his nickname. He slowly turned around and looked back at Toph, "I haven't heard that name in ages," he said in a cracked voice. Toph lifted her joined hand and kissed Aang's hand gently before she let go and walked over to Kuruk.

Aang was going to argue over their close proximity to one another, but figured that this was the closest thing to closure Kuruk would ever get.

Just as before, Toph and Kuruk looked at each other intently, "You look so much like her," he whispered as he pushed back a strand of her hair.

"I will always love you, Kuri…and just so you know, I never once gave up on you either," she said. He couldn't help the tears that surfaced as he gave her another classic smirk of his. Toph reached up to his ear and just like what she did for Aang, she gently massaged his ear. Kuruk closed his eyes in comfort and leaned in to her touch.

When she stopped, Toph pulled Kuruk down to her level and placed a gentle yet quick kiss on his lips. Aang was about ready to explode, but kept his cool as he bit his nails.

Kuruk pulled back and gave her one last smirk, "I don't want to make the young Avatar more jealous than he already is…" and she lightly laughed at his statement. He placed a hand on her cheek, "We will forever transcend lifetimes," he said and with one last look and touch of the hand he turned away and disappeared before her.

Toph looked down at her hand and saw the blue betrothal necklace, "Forever transcend lifetimes," she repeated as a single tear rolled down her face.

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A/N: ZOMG! I literally had to stop and wipe my tears away because this was so sad and beautiful! I honestly am such a sap! lol! I hope you guys liked it! I really did want to give Kuruk some closure in this story, and I'm really happy with the way this chapter turned out. (I don't know about you, but now I'm secretly thinking about olderToph/Kuruk…I know, crack!pairing, but still…lol! I mean, TAANG FOREVER! lol!) Don't forget to leave me a review!


	10. Chapter 10: Gone

**Within the Face Stealer's Grasp**

A/N: Here goes the next chapter! Sorry it took me a while to update! I can't believe it's December already! Wow, how time flies! I hope you enjoy this chapter; it's definitely part of the climax of the story. More to come soon!

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Chapter Ten: Gone

Toph stood there and stared at the necklace in her hand. Memories of her past lives flooded her mind, but the memories of her current life stood out in bold outlines. She smiled as several thoughts of Aang appeared and at that moment she turned around to confront him. With the sight provided by the Spirit World, she saw Aang with his arms crossed about his chest and no expression on his face. He just simply looked back at her. She knew that face and stance. She couldn't help but smile at what was obviously jealousy.

He wore the same expressionless face and stood the same way a couple of months back when a fire bender had shown some interest in her. She had to admit that the fire bender had made her laugh a couple of times, but he was no exception when it came to her sarcastic attitude. Unfortunately for her, the fire bender liked her snappy and sharp personality, but Toph made it clear that she had no interest when she encased the guy in rock.

She walked up to Aang and stopped a foot away from him. She poked his chest and managed to push him back a bit, "You do realize that you're jealous at yourself, right?" She said humorously and he rolled his eyes to look elsewhere. She picked up on the small smile that started to form at the corners of his mouth.

"Come on Twinkle Toes, I couldn't help myself, literally!" she said as she closed the space between them and held on to the collar of his shirt. Aang continued to ignore her, even though his small smile betrayed him.

"Fine," she uttered quickly as she played along, "I guess I don't need this anymore," she continued as she lifted her arms to unfasten her betrothal necklace. That's when she broke him. He immediately stopped her and grabbed her wrists.

She smiled up at him and he loosened his hold to let her wrists go. He let his arms fall to his sides, but her hands traveled up to hold his face, "Aang, I was giving him closure…something he's needed for a long time. He left me Ummi's necklace to have as a memory and nothing more. I have this now," she said as she momentarily removed her hand to point at her own necklace, "and I have you. No one can ever replace you in this lifetime, okay?"

"Okay," he said playfully and then pouted his lips, "But I think a kiss will make all of this better," he added and then closed his eyes as he leaned for her lips.

She pushed back a bit and he almost fell over in his attempt to get a kiss. He opened his eyes and saw a pensive look on her face as she tapped her bottom lip with her finger, "I'm trying to figure out who kisses better, you or Kuri?"

His jaw dropped at her words and he turned around to walk the opposite way as he muttered curses under his breath. Toph just couldn't help but laugh at his reaction, "I'm just kidding!" She called out to him, but he made no effort to acknowledge her as he continued to walk.

Toph ran up to him and she continued to call out his name. She was a few feet away from him when she spoke up again, "Okay, you give me no choice," she said and with that she jumped onto his back, piggyback style. She almost slipped off, but he caught her thighs and secured her legs around his waist. Her tongue out in determination, she managed to wrap her arms around his neck and rest her head against his.

"I was kidding!" Toph whispered into his ear and kissed him several times there.

"I know you were, I just wanted to see how long it would take for you to run after me," he said and Toph caught her breath just in time to scratch the top of his head with her knuckles.

Aang yelled out in pain but he also laughed as Toph tortured him. She stopped to grab herself around his neck and Aang adjusted her on his back so that she wouldn't fall off.

"You are one rotten Avatar," she said as she poked his chest and then folded her hands over his chest.

"Well someone was a bad influence," he said jokingly as he implied her. She let out a laugh and then she hung on his shoulders in order shift herself in front of him. He held onto her legs as she dangled at one point from his shoulder. After much struggle, she now faced him, her legs still wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck. Aang held her up at her thighs and wondered how she would retaliate based on his last comment.

Instead of scathing him with a punch or knuckle-head scratch, Toph kissed him, as he had requested earlier. Aang pulled her closer to him and she in turn held him tighter. As the kiss deepened, Aang struggled to remind himself of their location and the potential danger that lurked nearby. He pulled back momentarily only to look into her eyes and fall into another kiss again. Toph chuckled because she'd always known Aang to stop before things got carried away. He always took the initiative to stop, but with everything that had happened recently he found it hard to let go. This time she took initiative and gently pulled away from their kiss.

She licked her lips teasingly and jumped off to the ground, "Yup, definitely your kiss," she said and pulled on his collar to give him a quick kiss. He blushed and she couldn't help but to squeeze his cheeks, to which she received an "ow."

Aang pulled her hand away from his cheek and instead held it in his own as they started to walk around, his eyes set on finding flat ground to meditate on and leave the Spirit World. "Okay," Toph started, "Now that we've found our answers, what's the plan?"

The plan…the plan. This sounded like a job for Sokka, but he was probably halfway across the Earth Kingdom by now. Everything that Aang learned on this journey ran through his mind like lightning: Toph's relation to Ummi, Ummi's relation to Koh, Ummi did something to Koh and now he's after Toph…and now what he needed to do was to find a way to incapacitate Koh, an impossibility all on its own. He wouldn't dare bring Koh into the natural world and risk other people's lives, and there was no way he could fight Koh without his bending. This predicament reminded him of when he had to fight Ozai: either he killed him or the world suffered his plight. But that was done and over with…now the love of his life was at risk and just like before, the past Avatars only gave him words of guidance, not a solution.

Toph pulled on his hand and brought his mind back to their reality, "Hellooo? Too much air up there?" She said as she pulled him around to face her.

"What?" he said as he sat down and she followed him.

"I kinda lost you there," she told him and they sat cross-legged across each other. He held her hands in the space between them and looked up at her. She looked at him intently as she waited for him to say something.

"Toph," he started but his eyes fell back down to their joined hands, "I don't know what to do," he admitted as he brought their joined hands up to his forehead. Toph felt a pang in her chest as she saw how lost he was. This too reminded her of when he had to fight Ozai. All she could at that time was to leave him alone in his meditation. She hated seeing him this way again, and all because of something she did in a past life.

"Maybe I can negotiate with him," she said after a moment's silence and Aang looked up at her with a confused expression.

"Are you serious?" he blurted out, "You can earth and metal bend me all you want, but there is no way I'm letting you get near him. If anything I'd be the one to negotiate with him," he finished firmly.

"Then what am I supposed to do? Just let you fight this battle for me, while I sit and wait at home? We've already had this discussion Aang, I'm not backing down," she replied with as much firmness.

All Aang could do at that moment was laugh and Toph punched him on the arm, "What are you laughing at?"

"You…me…us!" he replied as he smoothed out the area where she had punched, "One moment we're in absolute peace and the next we're arguing…" He said as he pushed back a strand of her hair away from her face.

"I know your air bending tactics all to well, 'avoid and evade,'" she emphasized with air quotes, "Stop trying to change the subject, Twinkle Toes," she said and poked him gently on the chest.

Aang smiled at her and then sighed as he let his head fall back. Toph tilted her head to side and wondered whether she was making things harder for him. It was true, that she didn't want to be in the sidelines while someone else handled the matter for her. And it was also true that she didn't want that someone to be just Aang. But above all else, the main reason why she didn't want to back down was because she didn't want to lose Aang in any way. She may be the world's greatest earth and metal bender, but she still had a heart…a heart that was very much connected to his.

She tightened her hold on his hand, which brought his attention back to her, "Maybe..." she started but found it hard to convey her thoughts. She blew her hair away from her face in frustration and gave out an exasperated sigh. Aang was about to say something when she finally came out with it, "If you really think that you could negotiate with him…maybe, it would be okay if I stay at home with my parents," and with that she sighed again.

Aang looked at her with a slightly raised eyebrow, "Really?" he asked as he leaned closer to eye her properly.

"Don't make me repeat it…it was hard enough to say it the first time," she replied. She knew it was for the best, but she couldn't help but squirm at the thought of not being able to do anything. She also didn't like the idea of letting him do it himself, without her at his side.

He was about to lean in closer to kiss her when she stopped him by placing her hand on his forehead, "Only on one condition," she said as she removed her hand and placed it back on his, "Promise me that you'll come back in one piece," she whispered.

Aang noted the sincerity in her voice and he left her hands to hold her face, "I promise," he whispered back and gently kissed her lips. Toph savored the kiss for however short it was before Aang pulled back.

"Go back home and tell your parents what happened," he said as he prepared her to leave the Spirit World. He held her hands and guided her through the meditation process.

Half way through, however, Toph stopped meditating and opened her eyes, "What's wrong?" Aang asked.

"I forgot something," she said and removed the bracelet Aang had given her the morning of her birthday. She took it and placed it on his right wrist, "That way you know I'm there when you face the creep," she smiled and moved to kiss him again. Aang chuckled against their kiss and Toph pulled back to continue her meditation.

A couple of moments passed and she disappeared before him. He stood up from the ground and became aware of how ominous his surroundings looked now that he was alone. He looked down at Toph's bracelet and he let out a smile as trudged on to Koh's lair.  
______

Toph opened her eyes only to find that she needed to rely on vibrations to see. Poppy and Lao stood up at once and walked up to their daughter. Toph felt Aang across from her, still heavily set in meditation. Her father helped her up and in the process she realized her bracelet was not on her wrist. Her mother noticed her actions and spoke up, "You gave your bracelet to him while meditating." And indeed, the bracelet was on Aang's right wrist.

"Why has he not come to yet?" Lao asked as Toph went over to a nearby table to serve herself a cup of water.

"He went to negotiate with Koh," she said and attempted not to slam the cup down on the table. She really didn't like the idea, but it was the best they could come up with at the moment.

"And you, of all people, let him?" her father questioned, but regretted the moment she turned around with a sour look on her face. Toph, however, did not snap at her parents. They were, after all, being supportive and more open than they've ever been. Her features calmed when she noticed that Aang took a deep breath.

"What did you discover on your journey?" Poppy asked as she walked around Aang, careful as not to disturb him.

Toph took a deep breath herself and told them everything about that Roku and Kuruk had told them. Her parents were saddened at the fact that Koh was nearly impossible to kill and the consequences of his possible death could hinder the balance of nature.

"Which explains why he went to talk to Koh himself, since he's had prior experience," she finished and her sightless eyes traveled over to his small vibrations.  
______

Aang finally finished crossing major parts of the swamp when he saw it in the distance: the dead tree that was home to Koh. Within minutes, he reached the base of the tree. He stood there and stared at the large blackened entrance. The last time he was there he hoped beyond all hope that he would never have to set foot in Koh's lair again.

He took a deep breath and removed all emotion from his face as he had done before. As he walked forward, he touched the bracelet on his wrist before darkness consumed him.

It was as if it were yesterday that he had walked down the same stairs to seek out advice, but now he walked down them for a new purpose. It still smelled of wet dirt and tree bark and the only immediate sound was that of water dripping on the floor. Aang placed ninety percent of his attention on his expressionless face and ten percent on any signs of Koh's presence.

He kept going further down until he reached the base of the stairs, where he had confronted Koh the last time, but he was nowhere in sight. He saw to his left a path that made a turn behind the rocks. He noticed small prints on the floor and matched them to Koh's centipede legs. He took the chance and walked down the long path. After a few minutes of wandering, he finally reached the end where he entered a small room covered by dead tree roots and rocks. At the center was a round structure and when Aang approached it, he realized it was similar to a well. The light from above the surface that managed to creep in through the cracks of the roots hit the water in a way that it would dimly light the room. He was about to touch the water when he heard the rippling sound of legs. It was then that a large centipede body swung from the ceiling and met with Aang's face.

"The Avatar!" he yelled out as if to scare Aang, but Aang held a firm face.

"Koh," Aang replied calmly as he noticed that he had the face of an owl.

"It has been a long time since we last met," he stated as he wrapped himself around Aang.

"Not long enough," Aang muttered under his breath, but Koh cackled at his response.

"There's something different about you," Koh said as he appeared in front of Aang's face again.

"What could that be?" Aang played along with his game as to not anger him.

Koh changed his face to that of a monkey before he answered, "Ah yes, you have hair now. The last time you came to visit me, you had none. Why the change?" he said and he attached himself to the ceiling again.

"I grew it out for no reason," he lied. Aang had grown out his hair because Toph liked it that way and she enjoyed twirling his hair when they went to sleep.

"Come, come Avatar, there is no need to hide the truth from me," he replied and at that point he changed his face to Ummi, "You can tell me that you grew it out for her." Aang looked into the eyes of his past love and mustered all of his strength to not lash out at Koh.

"Well not _her_, her…you grew it out for her descendant who also happens to be her reincarnation…my memory is struggling to remember her name at the moment. What is her name, young Avatar?" Koh taunted him.

Aang refused to give him the satisfaction of answering the question, but he heard Koh laugh behind him and then the spirit yelled out, "Toph! Yes, that is her name…she's spit fire, that one." Aang's hands turned into fists, his patience slowly waned.  
______

"What do you think is happening to him?" Poppy asked as they witnessed Aang's fists tighten and his breathing picked up in pace.

Toph approached him and sat next to him, her fingers itched to touch him and wake him up. Instead she answered her mother's question, "He must be talking to Koh by now. His heart beat sounds like he's nervous or angry."

Poppy saw Toph's own anxiety and decided to do something about it, "Toph, darling, please accompany me in taking a walk outside. We both need fresh air."

"I can't leave him, mom. Maybe later," Toph replied and her father knelt down to place a hand on her shoulder.

"Toph, I will stay behind to look after him. It will only be for a few minutes," he told her and Toph blew her hair out of the way as she stood up to walk out with her mother.  
______

"Koh, I didn't come here to play guessing games. I came here to negotiate," Aang stated and the rippling sound of Koh's legs stopped.

"Negotiate?" He spat out, "Negotiate for what?"

Aang didn't hesitate to answer, "I want you to stop what you're doing to Toph."

Koh lunged at his face again, "Stop what I'm doing?" he laughed again, "You don't understand how long I've waited for her to come back into existence, into her original bloodline!" he said as he turned away.

Aang lost control for one moment and yelled out, "Why!?" But before Koh could catch the expression on his face, Aang returned to his previous state.

"Your precious Toph, Ummi, or fated spirit, whatever you call her…ruined my face!" he too yelled back and he showed Aang the mutilated face of what used to be a young boy. Aang noticed that an eye was missing and there were several slashes across the face.

He changed his face back to the owl, "When I acquired Ummi, I didn't steal her face right away, like I usually do," Koh informed Aang in a very calm voice, "She was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen and I wanted to admire her face before I took it for my own. But in the process of admiring her, she fought back," and his voice picked up in pitch, "She ripped a root from the wall and slashed my face!" he screamed out again and switched back to the mutilated face.

"This face is very old….centuries and centuries old," he continued, "And she destroyed it in less than five seconds." At that moment, Aang remembered what Kuruk had told him and Toph earlier, "_Koh is a collector; that is his weakness. Find a way to strip him of this and it might just hinder his strengths._"

Koh brought him back to reality as he continued to talk, "I killed her before I could enjoy taking her face. Your Toph will give me the peace I've longed for because I intend to get my revenge, young Avatar," he stated calmly.  
______

"With all of this mess, I never actually congratulated you," Toph's mother admitted as they walked along the path that led to the pond where Aang had proposed to her.

"Congratulated me?" Toph asked a bit puzzled.

"Your betrothal necklace. Aang had asked for our blessing and I told him that you were going to love it," she said and then laughed lightly, "He was actually quite nervous when he pulled us aside."

"Oh Twinkle Toes..." she laughed with her mother as they walked on the stone bridge over the pond. They stopped there to admire the turtle ducks and the swaying trees.

"So you and Aang are fated spirits?" she asked even though Toph had informed her about that earlier.

"Yup," she said confidently and she twisted her two fingers together to emphasize her point. Poppy smiled at her daughter's happiness and continued to calm her mind with her questions.

"I know it's too soon, but have you settled on a date?" Poppy asked as she turned Toph around to fix her hair. She pulled Toph's hair from her pony tail and brushed it with her fingers.

"We haven't really discussed that…we did agree on a small wedding, with just friends and family. No big party or anything like that," she said as she secretly enjoyed her mother's actions. She used to play around with her hair a lot when she was younger.

"Your father and I had a small wedding. It was the best day of my life…the next best day was having you," she said and Toph smiled as she rested her head on the banister and her mother continued to brush her hair with her hands.  
______

"So you see, young Avatar, there's nothing you can do to stop me and my intentions. Your past lives have tried and have failed. This is my nature…I am the root of perception, malice, and the complete opposite of everything that is good in your world," Koh whispered behind Aang, who still continued to stand his ground.

"By the way, for someone who claims to be utterly in love, I didn't take you as they type to leave your loved one all by herself," Koh said as one of his centipede legs touched the water in the well. The water rippled several times before an image appeared on the surface.

Koh used another one of his centipede legs to invite Aang over to the water. Aang hesitated, but he eventually moved closer. Aang looked down and saw the image of Toph and her mother. Aang blinked several times, careful not to make any expressions. He recognized the bridge they stood on. It was the bridge by the small pond in their estate.

"Why are you showing me this?" Aang asked, the anxiety clear in his voice.

"Because this is probably the last time you'll see her with a sincere smile on her face now that I finally have her in my grasp," Koh replied quickly and before Aang knew it, Koh plunged himself into the well. Aang fell back as water splashed everywhere. He looked up and saw the tail end of Koh vanish beneath the water.

"Time is ticking, Avatar," Koh's voice echoed.

Aang's whole world started to fall apart around him. Why didn't he think of it before? The well was Koh's portal to the mortal world. Aang concentrated fast and hard as he attempted to leave the Spirit World and join his body.  
______

"Have you thought about children?" Poppy asked as she twirled strands of Toph's hair around her fingers.

"Mom! We're just 16!" she said as she massaged her temples. She loved her mom, she really did, but her attempt to calm her was actually starting to annoy her.  
______

Aang took a deep breath when he awoke in the common room. Lao jumped slightly at the sudden outburst and stood up to approach Aang. But as he stood up, Aang was already gone and a rush of wind pushed him back onto his seat.

Aang rushed through the hallways and he ran as fast as he could across the Bei Fong manor. Once the front door was in view, he had not time to open it and instead he ran right through it, "TOPH!" he called out and from his vantage point he saw her turn around with her mother.

"Aang!" she called back happily, but at that exact moment strings of water shot out from the pond as if someone was water bending. Aang called out her name again and that's when Toph became aware of an ominous presence. She heard the water move around her and her mother screamed at the rushing water.

Toph earth bended the bridge to shoot herself and her mother up into the air and Aang caught them just in time. All three landed away from the pond and Aang held onto to Toph as he saw the water from the pond drain beneath the ground.

"The earth is moving," Toph said and moments later the pond water shot up from the ground and encased Poppy in water.

"Mom!" Toph yelled as the water started to carry Toph's mother toward the hole in the ground that used to be the pond.

Aang momentarily let go of Toph so that he could water bend but found it difficult when the water was fighting his bending. Just when he was about to run over to Poppy, more water shot out from the ground and partially encased Toph.

"Toph!" Aang shouted and tried to air bend her out of the water.

"Save my mom!" she struggled to say as the water was about to fully encase her. Aang turned to look at Poppy and saw that she started lose consciousness due to lack of air. Aang attempted to water bend again and this time he successfully pulled the water away from Poppy. He ran up to her, "Where's Toph?" she coughed out water. Aang looked behind him and Toph was no longer there. He looked back to where the pond once was and saw the glob of water that held Toph plunge into the wet dirt, taking Toph with it.

Aang ran to her while he screamed out her name, agony on his face as he tried to reach her. He threw himself in the water after her, but his knees touched the dirt and the water didn't go any deeper. He bended the water around, but there was nothing in sight.

"She's gone?" Poppy strained to say as she saw Aang splash the water from side to side.

Aang screamed out in anguish and with his bending he crushed the stone bridge and air bended it towards the estate wall. Several guards approached the scene and Lao ran up to Poppy.

"What happened? Where's Toph?" he asked completely unaware of the events that had just transpired. Poppy just cried in her husband's embrace and Lao's heart fell as he looked over at the lone Avatar in the middle of the pond, a fierce glare in his eyes.

* * *

A/N: Oh em gee! This chapter is hella long! And gasp! Toph is gone! What?! And Aang is pissed! Oh noes! I tried to make the chapter go at a reasonable pace, and not make it drag. So I hope I accomplished that in some way. But now that I re-read it, I'm kind of worried that I may have rushed things. Let me know how it turned out! I really couldn't drag the story on anymore…I mean, some action had to happen. Don't forget to click on that review button down there and show me some love!


	11. Chapter 11: Puzzle

**Within the Face Stealer's Grasp**

A/N: Omgz! So, I realized that I did leave a cliffhanger in the previous chapter and that was totally evil of me! lol! SOOOOO! Here is the next chapter! Stood awake day and night to write this for you guys (with the occasional Guitar Hero break, here and there!) Please leave me a review! They make me really happy in these troubled times (waiting for a job to call back!!) So without further ado, I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter!

* * *

Chapter Eleven: Puzzle

The anger in his eyes did not sway as a sudden rush of wind caused the water to ripple around his knees. A guard moved nearby and Aang's nostrils breathed out deadly fumes. The guard stood rooted to the ground as Aang's fists clenched coldly at his side as no one else dared to move while the Avatar was in a volatile state. He played out what just happened in his mind over and over to the point that a sharp pain rushed to the side of his head. He lifted his arm to stop the pain only to realize that he still wore Toph's bracelet. The words he had promised her haunted him as he stared at the bracelet, "_I won't let him get near you…ever_."

Lao saw the tormented look on his face and before he knew it Aang roared loudly and spewed fire from his mouth. His eyes glowed momentarily as he jumped out of the water and slammed his fists hard into the ground. The earth rumbled beneath everyone's feet and caused many of the guards to fall. Lao protected Poppy from the debris of earth and heard a loud crash far off. When he looked up, the ground was split in half and had reached the other end of the estate, where another part of the wall had broken apart.

He turned to look back at Aang and saw that the anguished Avatar had fallen to his knees. His features were no longer aggressive; instead there was a deep sadness in his eyes. Lao gently patted his wife's back and slightly moved away from her. He inched toward Aang carefully his arms outstretched in a non-offensive manner.

"Aang," he called out softly and Aang looked up at him as if all of the hope was stripped from the world.

"She's gone and it's all my fault," he said in a cracked voice. Lao shook his head as he knelt down to Aang. He placed his hand on Aang's shoulder as he too felt a deep sadness in his heart. Instead of giving him words of comfort, Lao pulled him into a fierce hug and he let Aang break down in his embrace.

"In no way is all of this your fault, son," he finally replied after he gave Aang a few moments to weep openly. He pushed him back and eyed him with determination, "She may be gone, but she's not lost," he told him.  
______

Toph felt like she was in one of her nightmares as she realized that she was surrounded by cold water. In her struggling, she happened to look above and saw light. Even though she didn't know how to swim, she pushed and pushed herself until she finally reached the source of light. She broke through the surface with a deep breath and grabbed the nearest thing to hold herself up. Toph took rapid breaths having been deprived of air for who knows how long. She looked around and saw that she was in a dimly lit room covered by dead tree roots and rocks. With the ability to see she figured she was in the Spirit World now.

As she rubbed the water away from her face and pushed back her wet hair, she noticed she was in a stone well. Sokka had described to her what a well looked like years ago and figured this was it. She pushed herself up and over to get out of the water. Toph looked back into the well and saw her reflection ripple in the water.

"It's a beautiful face, isn't it?" she heard a voice calmly say to her left, where the entrance to the room was. Even though her instincts told her to look at the intruder, she knew better. She looked away from the water and away from the voice. She hated not having her bending, but instead she looked around for something to protect herself without being too obvious.

"Avoiding me are you? It won't work for long and don't even bother protecting yourself…I won't let that same mistake happen again," Koh said as he crawled his way up the ceiling.

Toph heard him move upward and she couldn't help but shiver due to her wet garments. She quickly walked up to the closest root-covered wall and kept her face parallel to it, careful not to make herself easily accessible to Koh.

"You should have seen the Avatar's face when I took you," he said with a hint of pleasure in his voice, "He made quite a nasty mess with his Avatar State," he informed her.

Toph cringed at the thought of Aang losing control. The last time she saw him like that was when he had lost Appa. She slammed her head against the wall as she attempted to not lash out at Koh. She had to make it out of this without her bending, so she focused on the next thing she was great at…**her **_**sarcasm**_. With that in mind she gained more confidence as she heard him move again.

"Why won't you turn for me?" Koh asked as he hung from the ceiling not far from Toph.

"Why won't you go to hell?" Toph remarked in the same tone of voice. Koh cackled at her response and curled back up to the ceiling.

"Your biting attitude amuses me," he said as his face changed. He inched closer to her and Toph made no effort to move, "But that's not what I want," he stated firmly.

"What do you want from me?" she spoke out loudly, "Tell me already because honestly this whole mysterious-stalking thing is getting kind of boring."  
______

"Toph wouldn't want you to act like this," Poppy said as she approached Aang and Lao. She placed a hand on his cheek and wiped away his remaining tears.

Aang nodded, "You're right, I need a clean mind before I go back into the Spirit World," he said as he cleared his throat.

"What do you plan to do?" Lao asked as Aang stepped back and turned around. His hands went up to his head and he brushed through his hair.

"I can't leave her there," he said as his arms fell back to his sides, "I have to physically go into the Spirit World."

"How do you propose to do that?" Poppy asked as she grabbed her husband's arm, "We've only seen you enter the Spirit World by leaving your body behind."

"The Avatar State doesn't just give me insurmountable power, but it also acts as portal to the Spirit World," he informed them as he turned back around, "It's something that I learned years ago, but never actually practiced."

"But what will you do when you get there? Toph said that he was nearly impossible to kill and you don't have any bending abilities in that plain of existence," Lao as he placed a hand back on his shoulder.

Aang already knew all of that, but his mind couldn't help but wander back to what Toph had told him one time, "_Neither of my parents can earth bend, but my dad learned the way of the sword, like Sokka_. _He has a whole collection of swords back home_."

"I'll have to fight by other means," he said pensively and turned his attention to Lao, "Toph said you have a collection of swords."

"I do, but a sword is only an extension of yourself. Have you ever trained in sword fighting? Is it the way of an Air Nomad?" Lao said as he followed Aang back into the manor, Poppy not far behind.

"Sokka taught me the basics," Aang stated as he addressed the first question, but he avoided answering the second one. He was always taught that weapons were an ill means by which to approach a situation; and that above all else, all life should be treasured no matter how cruel and unjust.

As Lao, his wife, and Aang rushed down the hallways, he made a promise to himself that he would continue to uphold those values and when needed, the sword would only be used as a defense.  
______

"Your mind still struggles to remember the past," Koh stated as he scuttled closer to Toph, but made sure to keep an adequate amount of space in between if she tried to defend herself as Ummi had done before.

"I have an idea, why don't you save me and yourself the trouble and just tell me," she said sarcastically, but regretted it when Koh's tail pinned her against the wall.

"The sarcasm is unnecessary!" he spat out as he held Toph against the wall.

Toph laughed a bit, "But I thought you said you liked my attitude?" she questioned him. Koh snarled at her remark while his tail-end pulled her back and then slammed her against the floor. She landed with an oomf, but he failed to break her demeanor as she continued to laugh.

Koh lunged at her and was only a few inches away from the back of her head, "Do you find your imminent death amusing?!" he yelled at her.

"Is that a trick question?" Toph didn't hesitate to reply. Koh lifted her up and slammed her again against the floor. She spat out a bit of blood since she had bitten the inside of her mouth on impact, "You know, if you really want my 'beautiful' face," she said and attempted to do her air quotes against the floor, "I don't think throwing me around is such a good idea."

"Ummi was just as infuriating, what does the Avatar see in you?" Koh asked with a distasteful tone as he changed into another face.

Toph blew a strand away from her face, "You know what, if you let me go I can go and ask him and I promise to come back with your answer," she replied with a short laugh, but the laugh turned into a scream when she felt a fierce pain in her right shoulder. She didn't need to look as she knew that Koh had stabbed her with one of his legs.

Even with the agonizing pain she still managed to be just as clever, "No, wait, wait!" she said through rapid breadths and Koh's face smiled, "…do that again, it kind of tickled!" His smile was gone.  
______

"Hurry Lao, Toph doesn't have much time," commented Poppy as they picked up the pace.

"If I know my own daughter, she's probably giving him a very hard time," he said as he entered the room that stored his extensive collection of swords. Aang smiled slightly as his comment because he knew Toph was doing exactly that.

The walls were covered with swords and a suit of armor stood at the center. Above the swords were several traditional masks and gauntlets, most likely family heir looms. Lao walked up to one particular sword and removed it from its hold on the wall, "This was a sword passed along the men of my family," he said as he turned to Aang, "My father gave it to me and as my son, I hope it too will help you." Aang took the sword from Lao's hands and bowed respectfully at his kind words.

Lao couldn't help but notice the anxiety in his eyes. He put a hand on his shoulder to capture his attention, "Don't lose faith in yourself," he said and Aang took his words into consideration.

He took a deep breath and just one thought about Toph gave him all the confidence he needed, "I need to head back to the pond. Since Koh used it as portal, it still has remnants of spiritual energy." Lao gripped his shoulder in support and then he grabbed Poppy's hand. With no other words spoken, they left the room and ran back.  
______

"Why do you torture yourself?" Koh asked his head ever so close to hers as she continued to be pinned down on the floor.

"Wait, I thought you were torturing me?" she replied, "Last time I checked I wasn't throwing myself across the room."

"You do have a way with words, I must give you credit for that," he said calmly as his breath tickled the back of her neck.

"And I won't give you any credit for having bad breath, do they have breath fresheners in the Spirit World or are you in short supply?" she was quick to say.

"Your comments are trying my patience!" he yelled as his grip tightened against her.

"What can I say? I'm not the type of flame that would burn out so easily," she said in reference to what he had told her in her previous nightmare "_I'll make sure to put the flame out for good…_"

"I wouldn't be so sure," he whispered eerily and the next thing she knew, Toph was knocked against the well. Toph tried hard to keep a straight face even with the searing pain from her shoulder. She saw Koh's face in the reflection in the water and shivered slightly when she saw the mutilated face of a boy.

"Does it look familiar?" Koh asked as Toph's mind was overwhelmed by another strong memory, as she had experienced with Roku and Kuruk. She remembered seeing that face before only it didn't have the slashes it currently had. Then it dawned on her…she had created those cuts and gashes at another point in time, "Do you like your work?" he snarled at her.

"So I ruined your face, big deal. Don't you have others to choose from?" she replied calmly, but apparently that was the last straw. Koh's tail-end grabbed her and dunked her head into the water. The action was unexpected and Toph didn't have enough time to take a deep breath. She struggled against his hold and after she inhaled several gulps of water Koh pulled her back up.

Most of her hair stuck to her skin and hid portions of her face as she coughed up water, "That face was a special part of my collection. Do you know how hard it is to acquire a child's face?" He said as he dunked her back into the water. She expected him to repeat the same action, so she made sure to inhale beforehand. He kept her under water a while longer and when he was satisfied he brought her back up. As he pulled her out, her betrothal necklace came undone and landed nearby on the wall of the well. She failed to notice its absence as she tried to take short and rapid breaths.

She coughed a bit more and then laughed to herself, "Maybe you should get a new hobby? I see you as a jewelry maker." Toph didn't give him the satisfaction of breaking her. If she was going to go down, she wasn't going without a fight. He threw her back onto the floor, where she had been pinned down before.

"That's enough!" he yelled, his face close to the back of her head. Toph felt the dirt stick to her wet face and realized that the floor was a combination of dry dirt and sand. With both of her hands against the floor, she slowly grabbed a handful as Koh continued to talk, "Do you have anything else to say before I take your face into my collection?" Koh said as he changed his face back to the owl.

"Yeah," she started as she took a deep breath, "Didn't anyone ever tell you that I'm the world's greatest earth bender?!" And with that she force her way around and threw the mixture of dirt and sand against his face. Koh backed away in pain as the contents of her hands hit him directly in the eyes.

Toph quickly got up and ran down the path away from Koh. She kept on running and made sharp turns around corners that led to more running. She made no effort to look back because she already knew that he was close behind. Toph finally came to the base of stairs and saw light at the very top. She didn't question whether it was an exit or a portal to who knows where, the farther she got away from Koh the better.

She started to climb the stairs when she heard the scuttle of legs not far off.  
______

Aang and Toph's parents reached the pond at last and Lao dismissed the guards since Aang needed absolute silence. Aang started to walk into the water when Poppy quickly approached him and gave him a hug, "I know you'll bring Toph back," she whispered and pulled away to grab her husband's hand.

"May the spirits be with you Aang," Lao said and grasped Aang's forearm.

"I'll bring her back," he said confidently. With the bridge out of the way, he traversed to the center and he took position. With the sword in one hand, he closed joined his two fists so that the arrows pointed at each other. He closed his eyes and focused his mind with the task at hand.

Lao and Poppy gazed at him and then Poppy pointed out to the glowing energy that emanated around Aang legs. In moments the entire pond glowed brightly and Toph's parents stood back. Suddenly the glowing energy retreated back to Aang's body and then Aang opened his eyes with a glow. Poppy almost cried out when Aang sunk beneath the water.

Aang floated beneath the cold water for several moments before a shimmering light started to form above him. He looked up and paddled his feet to swim upwards as the pressure in his lungs pleaded for air. He finally broke through the surface with a deep breath, the sword still grasped firmly in his hand.

He was back to where he was no less than an hour ago, in Koh's lair. Aang pushed himself up against the well's wall and he felt something cold touch his skin. He looked down and saw Toph's betrothal necklace. He gripped it tightly and jumped out of the well with even more determination than before.

He noticed the ground was disturbed in several areas and spotted blood on the ground. He also saw footsteps that led down the hall and with that in sight he ran after them.  
______

Toph kept running up the stairs when one of Koh's legs suddenly tripped her and she fell with much force. She heard a crack and felt a sharp pain…she had dislocated her left arm. She saw Koh lunge at her from the corner of her eye and when he was close enough she kicked him and slammed him against the wall, which gave her enough time to stand up and run.

The warmth of the light hit her face when she finally reached the last step. Her chest heaved in and out as she looked around for another escape. She held her arm against her, while she tried to ignore the pain from her stab wound. Toph looked ahead and saw the cover of trees. She picked up the pace, but was thwarted again when she saw Koh's body shoot out from beside her and pulled her back.

This time she didn't have the cover of the wall or her hair to hide her face as Koh now held her with his forelegs. Toph couldn't think of a quick comeback and instead froze at his gaze.

Aang ran as fast as he could down the winding path and finally reached the base of the stairs, where her footsteps continued to go up. He climbed the stairs two or three at a time…the opening a few more steps away.

Koh blinked his current face away and Toph just stared into the black abyss that was Koh's original existence, as if she was hypnotized. He placed his forelegs against her face and savored her fearful expression.

Aang reached the top of the stairs and saw the back of Koh's body. He saw Toph's arms stood limp by either side of Koh and he acted fast. He ran to his left, jumped into the air and when he landed on the large root that extended out from the entrance, he jumped off that with his sword out before him. As he descended, the sword made contact with Koh's forelegs and the momentum sliced him away from Toph's face. Severed bits of Koh's legs fell to the floor and Koh fell backward as a squealing sound emanated from the blackened hole on his face.

Toph snapped out of her trance and leaped back to see Koh rapidly change his faces, one after the other. Each one screamed out in pain with different tones and pitches. She then turned to her rescuer, "Twinkle Toes!" She said breathlessly and Aang quickly smiled at her despite the situation they were in. She too smiled back, but suddenly her knees buckled and she started to fall backwards.

"Toph!" Aang spoke out and he caught her just in time before she hit the ground. He dropped the sword to the side as he shook her to wake up, "Toph!" he called out to her again. Her skin was no longer porcelain-like as it was before, but she was paler and dark circles formed under her eyes.

"Aang," she whispered out, "My mouth is dry…I can't feel my fingers," she struggled to say.

Aang shook his head and he rubbed her hands, "Toph, what's wrong? What happened?" he said as his mouth started to dry as well due to anxiety. His hand went up to her face and she was stone cold. Then he heard a laugh come off from afar. He looked up and saw Koh as his face was huddled to floor and his body shook in laughter.

Anger had set in and Aang grabbed his sword to approach Koh, "What did you do to her?!" he yelled out.

"Most centipedes are harmless to humans, but I'm a different case," Koh informed him as he stood up on his hind legs, his back to Aang, "I stung her…she's dying from my venom," he said flatly.

Aang's chest grew heavy at his words…_dying? She can't die! Not now, not like this! _"You're lying!" he yelled out as his eyes glazed over with tears.

"It was a precaution I had to take just in case she escaped…and she did. At any rate, I had my share of fun. What is it that you mortals say? Revenge is sweet?" he said calmly as his back continued to face Aang, "You shouldn't waste your time with me…she only has a few more minutes."

Aang was falling apart…the thought of loosing Toph just when he got her back was unbearable. Never had he wanted someone to die…it went against all he stood for, everything he learned. His grip tightened around the handle of the sword and he gave it no more thought. He stepped back with the sword by his face and charged toward Koh with the intent of killing him. Koh sensed his actions and swiftly turned, ready to capture the Avatar's angered face for his own.

As Aang neared him and Koh lunged forward, several things happened in an instant blur. Roku appeared in front of Koh and swiftly grabbed the tip of Aang's sword with his hand. Any ordinary human would not have survived, but as a fully formed remnant of Aang's past, the action was done effortlessly. At the same time, Kyoshi and Yang Chen tackled Koh and pinned him down to the floor by the entrance to his lair.

Aang pushed forward, but Roku stood his ground, "Let me kill him!" he yelled as his tears blurred his vision.

"You of all people know that I can not let you do that, Aang," Roku said calmly and his grip tightened over the sword's edge.

"It is not your way, Aang," Yang Chen called out to him, his fellow air bender, "You have abided by your teachings this far, do not succumb to your anger."

Aang took several short breaths and closed his eyes as he accepted the truth. With that, he let go of the sword and Roku let it go as well. The sword fell to the floor with a clang and he opened his eyes at the sound, "I can't live without her," he stated simply.

"And you won't have to," he heard Kuruk behind him. He turned and saw Kuruk bend down toward a semi-conscious Toph. He placed a hand over her shoulder and a hand on her dislocated arm. Kuruk closed his eyes and took a deep breath. A glow appeared under his hands and within moments Toph's pale skin was restored to its original color. Kuruk finished and stood up just in time for Toph to wake up and gasp for air.

She coughed as she sat up and then looked up at Kuruk, "You were always good with your hands," she said in a raspy voice and he laughed at the fact that even on the verge of death, she still had a sense of humor. Kuruk gave her a hand and helped her up. He pointed over behind her and she wore a look of confusion as she turned around.

She saw Aang and her confusion was replaced by a joyous smile, "Twinkle Toes!" she called out and with that the two broke out into a run. Aang caught her by the waist and he buried his face against her neck as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Aang took in her scent and he tightened his hold around her waist, "Aang, I can't breathe," she laughed against his shoulder.

He let go of her and pushed back slightly, enough for her to see his tear stained face, "You're such a wimp crying over me like that," she whispered as she held his face in her hands and tried not to cry herself, "But I love you more for it," she said before she leaned in to kiss him.

Kuruk wore a smirk and Roku scratched his throat out loud to interrupt them, but Toph held her arm out to the side with her pointer finger up, as if to ask for one more minute. Roku couldn't help but smile at the scene and finally he was given the attention when they broke apart. They saw Roku turn to Koh on the floor, still pinned down by Kyoshi and Yang Chen.

"You have angered the spirits for far too long Koh. Your mischievous acts have gone far enough," he stated.

Koh merely laughed at Roku's words, "You cannot kill me, I am apart of this world as much as you are."

"Indeed you cannot be killed," spoke out Yang Chen.

"But we can do something far worse," added Kyoshi.

Kuruk stepped in and knelt down to Koh's face, again he wore the face of an owl, "You've already taken my wife in a past life, I won't let you do it again in this one," he said as he pointed to Aang.

"Koh, you are forthwith prohibited from leaving these grounds," Kuruk said, and at that precise moment an illuminated barrier rose around the edges of Koh's lair. Koh struggled even more against Kyoshi and Yang Chen's grip, "You are still an ancient spirit that brings balance to the spiritual world, but as of this moment you will no longer commit your treacherous acts. No one will be able to enter these grounds and suffer the fate you have bestowed upon others."

"And as of this moment you will release those you have stolen. It is time that their remnants be laid to rest," stated Roku.

Roku turned to Aang, "Aang, you are the current Avatar and you also possess an ability that your past Avatars have never imagined. You possess the powers to undo what Koh has done." He said and Aang looked at him in confusion.

"You mean, my ability to take away bending?" Aang asked.

"Precisely," Roku nodded, "After you came to me with Toph and told me of your problem, it took me some time to figure out that your ability to alter the composition of one's spirit can be applied to this circumstance. It is a power that dates back before the day of the Avatar and therefore, it is a power that can be used both in the mortal world and in the Spirit World."

Aang nodded and turned to Toph. He momentarily let go of her hand to approach Koh, but Toph held him back, "Can I kick him before you glow it up?" she asked, but Aang only eyed her with a smile on his face.

She let go of him with a frustrated sigh, "Fine whatever, go do your stuff," she said and when he turned around she moved slightly to eye Koh and she stuck her tongue out at him.

Aang walked up to him and he didn't hesitate to place a hand on the top of Koh's head and another hand father down on his back.

"You wouldn't dare," Koh spat out.

Aang lowered himself to his face level and gave him a fierce glare, "Watch me." And with that Aang closed his eyes and within moments a glowing energy covered himself and Koh. Afterwards the energy retreated back into Aang and when his eyes opened with a glow, Koh's face started to flicker with the many faces in his possession.

After every flicker, each face detached itself from Koh's body and converted into a glowing orb, which then flew out at high speeds and disappeared into the sky. The process happened at a faster rate and Toph's jaw fell as she saw the many faces leave Koh's collection.

After what seemed like forever, Aang pulled back and having used a lot of concentration he almost fell, but Toph caught him. He and Toph saw the last of the faces leave Koh's body, and finally they saw it…Ummi's face, her face had been the most recent of his collection, even though it was centuries old.

Instead of converting into a glowing orb, Ummi's face levitated upwards and a body formed to support it. The body wore the last thing Ummi had worn…her water tribe wedding dress.

"The last remnant," Roku informed Aang and Toph, "The puzzle's complete."

Kyoshi and Yang Chen let Koh go and stood back as he writhed back and forth…the only thing on his head was a blackened hole. He crawled back into his lair as the squeals echoed behind him.

"The well!" Toph cried out, but Kuruk put her mind at peace.

"I made sure to sever the spiritual energy before I healed you, he has no place to run," he said.

The atmosphere grew silent as Toph, Aang, and Aang's past lives gazed upon Ummi. She turned to Toph and Aang and smiled, "I'm finally free, thank you."

Aang was about to reply with a welcome when three more people appeared out of thin air. The first he noticed was Ta Min in her older years. Then he looked over at saw two gentlemen stand by Kyoshi and Yang Chen. The one by Kyoshi wore a top-knot and elegant Earth Kingdom robes and the one by Yang Chen was an Air Nomad without his tattoos. Just like the Water Tribes, the Fire Nation, and the Earth Kingdom had residents with non-bending abilities, so too did the Air Nomads.

"What going on?" Aang asked curiously as his hand automatically went to grab Toph's.

"You have to remember Aang," replied Roku, "The fated spirit dates as far back as the first days of the Avatar. It was conceived with the notion that it would accompany the Avatar throughout many lifetimes; therefore, it is no ordinary spirit. It may not have the same abilities as the Avatar, but it still possesses the ability to leave behind remnants…just like the Avatar leaves behind remnants of its past lives."

"Why haven't I seen them before?" Aang asked and then Ummi stepped up to answer his question.

"Since Koh had me trapped, the remnant cycle for the fated spirit had broken. But with my freedom, the puzzle is finally complete," she said and Roku nodded in agreement.

"So does this mean that I can see you guys like Aang does?" Toph asked.

"Yes," Ummi said, "and no. You are able to summon us, but you can not do it alone. It can only be done through the assistance of the Avatar."

"So I can't get rid of you," Toph joked as she gently jabbed Aang in the stomach with her elbow. "I mean look at me!" she said as she pointed to her past lives, "I was hot!" And they all laughed lightly. Aang pulled their joined hands up to his lips and kissed her hand.

"So what happens now?" Toph asked as the laughter died down.

"Now," Kuruk said as he walked up to Ummi and grabbed her hand, "You have to live life and cherish it." Ummi smiled up at him and rested her other hand on his arm.

Toph noticed that Ummi wasn't wearing her betrothal necklace and she fished around her pockets.

"What's wrong?" Aang asked as he looked at her curiously and then he saw her pull out the blue betrothal necklace from her pocket.

Toph walked up to Ummi and Kuruk, "I think this belong to you," she said as she held the necklace out. Kuruk took it and Ummi lifted her hair, where he securely fastened it around her neck.

"Much better," Ummi said as she touched it.

"Where's yours Toph?" Kuruk asked as he noticed that she no longer had hers on. Toph reached up to her neck and she touched the area several times unsure of where her necklace was. She looked inside of her shirt and un-tucked the shirt from her pants just in case it was hidden there. She then looked up at Koh's dark entrance and she started walking towards it, but Aang pulled her back.

"Is this what you're looking for?" Aang asked as he dangled the green necklace in the air. Her features calmed at the sight of the necklace, but she punched Aang for letting her look like a mad woman.

"Don't do that!" she said and he flexed his arm to drive out the pain.

Kuruk bent down to Aang and placed a hand to cover his mouth from Ummi and Toph's perspective, "You get used to it after a while," he whispered.

"I heard that," Ummi muttered and she too punched his arm. He too winced in pain.

"I believe this reunion has run its course," Roku said as he grabbed Ta Min's hand, "Perhaps it is best that you do not keep your parents waiting," he looked at Toph.

"You were always a party pooper," Toph said, to which the rest of the fated spirit remnants replied, "Tell me about it!"

Roku eyed Toph humorously and Toph decided to back down, "Okay, okay, I guess we have to go," she said. And she then turned to Aang, "Ready to go, Twinkle Toes?"

He looked deep into her eyes and thanked his lucky star in the heavens that he was able to see them again. "I'm ready to go anywhere with you," he replied and she couldn't help but smile at his sappy comment, because that's exactly how she felt as well.

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A/N1: **DUDE!!! WAS THAT NOT EPIC!?** I mean, I don't want to brag, but I have to pat myself on the back for this one! I am so proud at how this chapter turned out, no joke! I don't know how the rest of you feel about it, but it made me happy! What you all think? Leave me a review!

A/N2: There's one chapter left to wrap it up -tear!!!- and I believe it was TaangDragons who asked for another sequel. What do you guys think? Should I go ahead with a sequel to this one? Let me know!!


	12. Chapter 12: Family

**Within the Face Stealer's Grasp**

A/N: Here it goes…the last chapter! I would have posted it sooner, but I had a very busy week! It's not that long; remember, it's only to wrap up what last happened and have some more fluff. But I will definitely go ahead with another sequel! I'm so sad to post this up! But I'm glad many of you reviewed and voiced out your love for Taang! Tell others about the awesomeness that is Taang! Enjoy this last installment!

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Chapter Twelve: Family

Aang looked deep into her eyes and thanked his lucky star in the heavens that he was able to see them again. "I'm ready to go anywhere with you," he replied and she couldn't help but smile at his sappy comment, because that's exactly how she felt as well.

Yang Chen interrupted their moment when she spoke out to Aang, "Remember young one, in the future do not give in to hate. It slowly destroys you from the inside."

Toph was about to add a sarcastic remark to that, but Kyoshi interrupted her, "The same goes for you, young earth bender. The world looks to the Avatar for guidance, but just like the previous Fire Lords, there are many who would see to his destruction. During my 200 years, I've faced many foes and I'm sure Aang will face his as he matures as an Avatar."

It was unlike Toph to keep her mouth shut, but she took Kyoshi's words into consideration. It actually sounded like Kyoshi was warning her about something, but Toph just nodded in understanding and then looked as Kuruk approached them.

Kuruk stepped up to them and wriggled his fingers, "Part of the spiritual energy that I severed from the well, I used to heal Toph. I still have some more that you can harness to go back, Aang," he said as he continued to wriggle his fingers.

With one last look Aang thanked his past Avatars and then he grabbed Toph's hand to wrap around his arm as he placed his fists against one another. Kuruk placed his hands on Aang's shoulders and the two men closed their eyes in meditation. Toph saw as a light appeared under Kuruk's hands and Aang's arrows started to glow. She took another look at Kyoshi as her words continued to echo in her mind. Before she knew it, Kyoshi and the others disappeared before her and the last thing she saw before she felt her body pulled away was the illuminated barrier around Koh's lair.

______

Lao and Poppy had retreated back into the manor after Aang had disappeared an hour ago. With their abrupt disappearance, an uncomfortable feeling had settled over the estate…the same feeling that appeared the night Toph had run away from home. It just seemed emptier than usual.

Poppy sat by the window in the common room and looked out onto the courtyard. She observed the workers as they worked on repairing the wall around the estate and removing large pieces of the footbridge that were imbedded into the ground. She turned to look at her husband who was pacing back and forth impatiently.

"You'll drive a hole on the floor," she said as she stood up to make her presence known. He stopped the moment he heard her calm voice and sighed heavily. She held her hands out for him to hold and he did so.

"I was never one for waiting, you know that," he replied and he hunched over a bit to rest his head on her shoulder, an action he would only perform in privacy.

"Oh I know," she said humorously as she caressed his back, "Remember the day I gave birth to Toph?"

"How can I forget?" he said as he lifted his head up and walked up to the window, "The maids wouldn't let me get near you and I was about ready to go mad," he replied and she laughed lightly at him.

______

"Ow, Toph, you stepped on my foot!" Aang yelled out as they fought their way out of the bushes by the stables behind the manor.

"How was I supposed to know that we'd appear in the bushes?" Toph replied. Aang stepped on a loose branch and fell backward out of the bush. As he fell he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her against him.

After they hit the floor with a thud, she hit him against the shoulder and he sucked his teeth in return, "Why'd you pull me with you if you knew were going to fall!?"

"Because if I go down, you go down with me?" Aang inquired as he air bended her on to her feet.

He was about to air bend himself up, but she offered him a hand. He took it and she pulled him up only to make him hunch down to her eye level, "That's a good answer," she said and pulled him into a kiss.

He abruptly pulled back, "If it's such a good answer, why did you hit me?" he asked as he pulled out several leaves from her hair.

He saw her slightly pause before she responded, "Because for a moment back there, with Koh, I thought I'd never get the chance to hit you again…well, in this lifetime," she admitted sincerely.

Aang was going to respond to her comment, but something landed on his head, "Momo!" said instead and Toph called out to the flying lemur, who then flew into her arms.

Appa crawled out of the stable as well and mumbled his way over to Aang and Toph, "Hey big guy!" Toph called out to him and hugged him below the eye.

"I'm sorry guys," he said as he scratched Appa's head, "We've been kind of distracted lately," Aang chose his words carefully, "How about we go flying later after Toph and I take a rest?"

Momo flew up onto Appa and Appa grunted what seemed to be an agreement. Aang and Toph told them that they'd drop by again later and they made their way into the manor to find her parents.

As they walked through the halls, Aang held on to her hand and figured he'd ask his questions now rather than later, while the adrenaline was still rushing through their bodies, "What happened after he took you?" he said in a low voice.

She sucked her teeth and sighed a bit, "Do we have to talk about this?" she said in an exhausted way, but she made an effort not to sound mean.

Aang shrugged his shoulders and let their joined hands drop to his side, "No, I guess we don't if you don't want to," he said as he sounded a bit hurt.

Toph stopped abruptly and pulled him back to her. She slipped her arms around his waist and lifted her face to him, her eyes not exactly focused on him, "He tortured me," she stated simply, "He told me how angry you got…that you activated your Avatar State…he slammed me across the room a couple of times and dunked my head inside the well. If I had my bending, I could have squashed like the bug he is. But I didn't…so I showed him what Toph is all about." She felt his heartbeat pick up in the beginning and then felt a smile form on his face at the last bit.

"I have to admit, I annoyed the hell out of him," she laughed a bit and then became serious again, "But I didn't give up…not once. Because all I thought about was getting back home, back to my parents…back to you," she said as she caressed his lower back, "But I almost died back there."

"You're right, we don't have to talk about this," he said abruptly as he started to push away, but she held him to her.

"Aang, were you really going to kill him knowing what would happen?" she asked as she focused on his heartbeat.

"Yes," he said flatly and let his head fall slightly, "It's not fair, that the fate of the world depends on whether I can control my emotions or not," he chuckled lightly to hide his own shame.

Toph's heart went out to him, "It's not easy for me either…if something were to happen to you, I think I'd tear this world in half with my bending," she chuckled too and he grinned slightly at her response. He knew she was trying to make him feel better about the whole situation.

Her hand traveled to gently grab his chin, "I don't want you to feel insecure about who you are, Aang. You are the Avatar, I get that…but you're also human. We all make mistakes…just know that I'll always fight for what we have and that there are others looking out for us," she said as she referred to their past lives.

"You always know what to say, don't you?" he said as he felt a bit alleviated at her words. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"Well," she smirked at him, "I have my moments of wisdom here and there." She grabbed him by the collar again and pulled him down towards her, "Just put this entire thing behind us okay? It's just a memory now…and something to learn from." He gladly nodded in agreement and they continued to walk down the halls.

______

"What do you think is taking them so long?" Lao asked as he started to pace again across the room, "I should have gone with him! What kind of a father am I?" he kept muttering.

"Patience is a virtue, husband," Poppy replied as she massaged her forehead.

"Well it is a virtue I have yet to master and I don't think I ever will…and, you only say that when you're anxious, so you are just as impatient as I am," he replied as he continued to walk back and forth.

Toph and Aang heard their voices and approached the doorway to the common room, but Toph held Aang back to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"What if they've succumbed to Koh's powers?" Lao stopped and asked, his nerves about ready to explode.

"I have faith in Aang," Poppy said calmly, "As you should too."

"I do! But Koh is an ancient spirit…and the world is without the Avatar again…and what about our daughter!" he continued to ramble on.

"He always does this," Toph whispered to Aang, "Every time there's a crisis, he goes berserk!" and she snickered into her hand. "Wait! I think you should go in there and pretend to cry and stuff and then I'll pop out and say 'Surprise!'"

"You're so cruel," Aang whispered back, "To play a prank like that on your parents! I think we should stop torturing them," he said as he eyed her seriously.

"You're never any fun, honestly!" Toph joked back.

"You are a cruel daughter, indeed!" Lao's voice boomed nearby. They turned their heads and saw Lao and Poppy stand close by.

Before Toph could apologize, she was pulled into a fierce hug by both her parents, "But you are safe, that's all that matters," he said as he hugged his wife and daughter.

Aang admired them from aside and Poppy looked up at him, "Family hugs also include you Aang," and she moved back to let him in. Aang felt touched at the idea of being apart of a real family. That's not to say that Appa, Momo, Sokka, Katara, Zuko, and Suki weren't family to him, but the sense of having a father and mother was a different feeling altogether.

Once they pulled apart, Aang and Toph were bombarded by several questions about what happened. They briefly explained that the past Avatars helped Aang to subdue Koh and that Koh was no longer a threat. They conveniently left out the part where she almost died as to not give her parents a heart attack.

Aang presented the sword back to Lao, "Your sword, sir."

Lao took the sword from him and two bowed respectfully to each other, "I know you are not one for weapons, Aang, being an air nomad. But, as a family heirloom, remember that this belongs to you," Lao said and passed it on to one of the guards to put it back in its original place.

"Thank you, sir," Aang replied formally again.

"And I think it's about time that you call me 'dad'? I think you've earned it," he said and Aang couldn't help but smile widely, "Although, I think later on you should help the workers fix the ground in the courtyard," he said and Aang cringed when he mentioned that.

"Fix the ground?" Toph said curiously.

"Just let it be known that I never want to get on Aang's bad side," he said and clapped Aang on the back.

"Oh this is wonderful!" Poppy shouted and clapped happily, "Now we can start planning the wedding! We need to contact the caterers and the musicians…not to mention the florists, and—"

"Mom!" Toph snapped her out of her reverie, "I think Aang and I should rest a little while before we jump into that, don't you think?" she said as she tried not to sound irritated. Again, she loved her mother, but she tended to get carried away with these types of events.

"Oh of course, of course," Poppy replied a bit dazed, "You and Aang go rest, while your father and I start the planning," and she grabbed her husband's arm.

Poppy dragged Lao out of the room, his small cries for help ignored along the way.

"I swear, those two will be the death of us," Toph muttered under her breath and then she felt a pair of arms slip around her waist from behind.

Aang rested his chin on her shoulder and looked down as he opened up his hand in front of her, "I think these belong to you," Aang whispered. Toph went to touch what was in his hand and felt her betrothal necklace and her bracelet.

Toph smiled as she slipped the bracelet on to her right hand and then went to hold up her hair. Aang fastened the necklace around her neck and made her turn around, "Perfect," he said.

She lifted her arms to wrap around his neck and he held her by the waist, "What did you do to the courtyard?" she asked again curiously and Aang mentally cursed at her persistence.

"Let's just say that when I get angry with the Avatar State, I tend to use my earth bending more than anything else," he smiled and she laughed at his response.

"I told you earth bending's the best," she said, her eyes not exactly focused on his. As he looked down at her, he admired her misty green eyes and ruffled black hair.

"Oh, I never said earth bending was the best," he teased her, "You know air bending is the best."

"You wanna put that to the test?" she said as she kissed the crook of his neck.

"We can spar later," he said as he brushed back her hair and kissed her neck in return.

He was about to lean in to kiss her on the lips when they heard Lao in the background, "No Poppy! I don't want to invite my brother to the wedding! He almost killed me the last time he visited!"

Toph snickered, "I love it when Uncle Qin visits...he was the only one who knew about my earth bending abilities when I was younger and always teased dad with his earth bending."

"I have a feeling I'm going to love being apart of your family," Aang whispered against her ear.

"Good, because I have a big family," Toph whispered back and finally captured his lips before there was another interruption.

Aang didn't know what the future had in store for him as the Avatar, but he definitely knew that Toph would be there. As their lips parted and the kiss deepened, he air bended her up and she giggled as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"What if my parents come by?" Toph asked breathlessly.

"I didn't think you'd care," Aang replied as he kissed her jaw.

"You're right, what was I thinking!" she said and they both laughed. Their laughter died down and Toph twirled the hair by his neck, "I love you Twinkle Toes," she said earnestly.

"I love you too," he replied and they leaned in to kiss again.

If anyone had passed by at that moment, they would have thought Aang and Toph to be too explicit with their actions. But they wouldn't know that Aang and Toph's love extends as far back as time itself…after all, their love is meant to transcend lifetimes.

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A/N: Now say it with me…**AWWWWW**!!! I know it's a bit short, but that's only because **I intend to pursue a sequel**!!! Huzzah! But after this long and very busy week, I'm gonna take a break! ^_^

I hope the sequel will be just as exciting…it'll cover, of course, the **wedding**! WOOT! Toph's family members, Kyoshi's "words of advice," and Toph earth bending awesomeness!

So I hope you've all enjoyed this! If in the next couple of days you find yourself missing Taang, you can watch some of my Taang videos in youtube!! I'm mcuseless and I absolutely adore my last video: **/watch?v=mM6rOfgjQY4**

Also, the inspiration for this sequel totally came from Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown's song "**No Air**." If you haven't listened to this song, it's totally TAANG! I swear! Listen to it! I love it!

Well I'm off to decorate my Christmas tree! Remember,** Taang is love**! ^_^


	13. Preview of Next Sequel

Preview of the next sequel:  
**"Fragile Balance"**

**Summary**: Kyoshi warned Toph about the dangers that continue to haunt the Avatar. Now it's up to Toph to figure out a way to stop an ancient society and most important of all, save the man she loves in the process.

A/N: I'm baaaack!!! lol! Yay! More Taang is on your way! WOOOOT! This is, of course, the sequel to **_Within the Face Stealer's Grasp_**!! What I'm about to show you is a preview.

I do apologize that this preview does not contain any Taang, hehe. I promise, you will get Taang! However, in this chapter I introduce to you all new characters and these characters will play a vital role in the course of the story and yes, I will continue to develop the Toph/Aang relationship : )

So please, enjoy this preview! I promise to post it up officially once I get a feel of what you guys think!

Oh and yes, Toph will definitely kick major bootay in this story...believe me!

* * *

....A lone man stood on the shore cliffs of the southern Earth Kingdom. His grey hair stood out from under his black hood, his face was completely covered by a mask. He looked out towards the tumultuous ocean and the dark clouded skies above it while the trees behind him shook with the fierce ocean winds. As the water below crashed against the cliff walls, three more men clad in black cloaks and masks came out from the shadows of the trees.

The grey-haired man turned to the others and simultaneously all four removed their masks. Without any further greeting, one of them spoke out fiercely. He was bald and his facial features revealed him to be in his mid-forties, "It's been five years since Ozai's fall! The Avatar and the White Lotus are stronger that ever! Why have you called this meeting Qi Tai?"

"Because as a member of the Hang Lo, I'd expect you to abide by our ancient regulations no matter the circumstance," replied Qi Tai with as much ferocity. Ruo He's gaze fell to the floor having just been reprimanded by the leader of the Hang Lo priests, an ancient order of the Fire Nation.

"Don't forget, it was our forefathers who influenced Fire Lord Sozin's decision to dominate and we still hold that duty even after our loss against the Avatar."

"Do not recite our history to me, Qi Tai," exclaimed one of the other men. Mao was a faithful and elderly priest in the Hang Lo order and refused to be treated in any other manner, "Today marks the fifth anniversary of Ozai's defeat and I haven't heard a whisper from either of you since we left the Fire Nation. So to reiterate Ruo He's initial question, why have you called this meeting?"

"Wait!" called out the fourth and final member, "Before you give us what will be a very informative and might I add, boring, account…how is everyone? I mean, five years is a long time and—"

"I see your annoyance has not left you Lei," Qi Tai interrupted him, "Why can't you be more like your father? He was a revered member of the order before he died," he sneered.

"So I took up my dad's position in the order since he passed, that doesn't mean I have to act like him too," Lei retorted. Lei was the youngest member at twenty years of age with shoulder length black hair that covered most of his face. Unfortunately, he had no choice but to take up his father's role in the Hang Lo order, a privilege and a curse all on its own.

"Stop this nonsense! Why have you called us Qi Tai?" Ruo He persisted. Lei rolled his eyes and signaled Qi Tai to go on.

"I will be quick then…I believe I have found us an opportunity to eliminate the Avatar and restore the Fire Nation reign over the world," he said nonchalantly and the other three looked up at him with wide-eyed expression.

"You jest!" Mao laughed lightly, "Nothing can stop the fully-realized Avatar. That was proven with Ozai's fall." The others nodded in agreement.

"Yeah how do you intend to take him down? I mean I consider myself a pretty good fire bender, but that's nothing against the Avatar," Lei boasted.

"Indeed your bending is nothing in comparison to the Avatar, Lei," Qi Tai said sarcastically and Lei rolled his eyes again, "But what irony? You are the one who's going to help us bring the Avatar's end."

Lei's brow creased in confusion and Qi Tai continued, "You see, I followed all of you after we departed five years ago. Mao, you have a small field on the eastern side of the Earth Kingdom. Ruo He, you are pursuing the field of medicine in Ba Sing Se, and finally…Lei, you moved to Gangwen village not far from the very spot we stand on."

All three men swallowed heavily as Qi Tai revealed these facts. Being a member of the Hang Lo order was not for the faint of heart and it was binding no matter the circumstance.

Qi Tai directed his gaze at Lei and continued, "You see Lei, out of the three of you, you turned out to be the key to the plans I've been formulating for the past couple of years. In the village you live in, the shrine is looked after by a miko (shrine maiden)…what is her name?"

Lei's eyes widened as he knew who Qi Tai was referring to, "Chun Mei," he whispered.

"That's it…she will be our weapon to getting rid of the Avatar once and for all."

"You can't!" Lei took a step forward, his fists clenched, "She's—"

"The one you've been pursuing for the past two years?" Qi Tai finished for him.

Lei stepped back at his words. It was true. Lei had been falling in love with the said shrine maiden and he thought his life with the order was done when Ozai fell. If he knew he was going to bring any harm to her or to the other villagers, he wouldn't have settled there all those years ago.

"What do you plan to do with her?" Mao spoke up as Lei stood speechless.

"I'd rather not go into details, but she has a strong connection with the Spirit World. I have felt it. If we enhance her abilities, she will be able to rival the Avatar's powers."

Ruo He spoke up, his hands sweaty at having heard Qi Tai's plan, "It's been five years Qi Tai, we've already made lives and we've moved on—"

"Are those the words of a traitor? Have you forgotten what happens to traitors?" Qi Tai approached Ruo He with a calm demeanor.

"No I have not," he answered as he remembered reading accounts of past members who were killed for even the slightest act of treachery.

"That's good to hear because you three are going to help me kidnap her tonight…."

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A/N1: So what do you guys think? Four members of an ancient order that first convinced Sozin to rule the world. One of them is bent on restoring the pride of the Fire Nation....You will definitely see new faces, old friends, and past enemies in this next installment of my Taang series!

A/N2: Oh yeah, so the names of the characters, I must confess...I snatched from my Taiwanese dramas! lol! So I will fully cred when I come out with the story. But if you had a tough time pronouncing them, here you go:

**Qi Tai**: "She Tai-ee"  
**Ruo He**: "Ruo (like Duo) He (pronounced with an 'uh' sound)"  
**Chun Mei**: "Chun (like 'un' in 'shun') Mei (like May)"  
**Lei**: Pronounced like Lay  
**Mao**: I think this one is simple enough, hehe : )


End file.
